Mentir
by loverofcookies
Summary: She gripped the bathroom countertop with her left hand, dizzy with knowledge she hadn’t wanted. She should have known, of course. Everyone who is in a truly loving, caring relationship makes time for their significant other. Everyone but her husband.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 1

At first, she just stared at it. It just sat there innocently, a clear bottle with blood-red liquid in it. She wanted to do so many things in that instant, scream, break it, and smash it so that the crystal fragments would shatter on the floor. She gripped the bathroom countertop with her left hand, dizzy with knowledge she hadn't wanted, knowledge she never would have guessed had it not come upon her so abruptly. She should have known, of course. Everyone who is in a truly loving, caring relationship makes time for their significant other. Everyone but her husband.

She gritted her teeth in anger, feeling the screams of frustration building in her chest. It had all hit her, as soon as she'd seen the bottle sparkling in the light. Why he'd sent her away for a week, telling her she just needed some time to relax. Why he was always out late working, now that she was home. 'But most importantly', she thought, 'This explained the look in his eyes.' The look of sorrow, of guilt, of restlessness. The look of fear.

He realized that through common law marriage, he would lose half of his wealth. Wealth that he had spent years building up. Her lips curled into a sneer as she realized how blind she'd been. He was keeping her, not out of love, not even out of lust, but because of his insatiable greed! The anger continued to flood through her body. She could taste the coppery feeling of rage building, driving her forward. Without conscious effort, she left her bathroom, walking through the hallway, past the living room to the front door. She slipped an arm through her purse strap, barely pausing, except to acknowledge the fact that her purse was several years old, while her husband had bought himself a new car last month.

None of her clothes were new. When they had first started out as a young married couple, he had delighted in showering her with gifts. As it was now, she hadn't seen a new purse, dress, or even scarf in years. But as she gathered her coat, she began to wonder if even in the beginning it was all a ruse, merely something to keep her from seeing the inevitable end. Well now it was unavoidable. Everywhere she looked she saw the truth. She couldn't hide from it any longer, and neither could he.

She locked the front door behind her out of habit, and got into her black car, pausing to slip sunglasses over her eyes and shift the car into gear. (She put her seatbelt on too, for all you safety lovers.)

Lost in her thoughts, she sped through the town at twice the regular speed limit, stopping at the high rise that her husband worked at. It was a very impressive building, covered in the reflective glass that offices always pay so much for. In her eyes, it was just another way to show her husbands love for his money. She fumed outside for a moment, then collected herself and walked inside.

She quietly walked up to the receptionist, a bubbly girl named Keira that had introduced herself at one of her husband's company social events. The girl was hard at work, but looked up when she heard the approaching footsteps. The smile that was already pasted on her face froze when she realized who it was, and her eyes grew wide. "Mrs. Taisho," she stammered. "What are you doing here?" The older woman ignored the girl's nervous reaction and smiled coolly at her. "My husband was expecting some news that I must deliver," she stated, her eyes like shards of ice in her blank face. "I see," Keira stuttered. "Would you like me to let him know that you're coming?" "No, thank you," Mrs. Taisho said as she walked to the elevator, the petite and anxious secretary trailing after her. She turned around as the elevator doors started to close, only to smile chillingly at the bubbly girl. She winked without humour. "I'm going to surprise him."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was only after the elevator doors closed that Kagome realized that she had no clue where she was going. Her husband had never invited her to his office, and she'd never been there herself. The only reason she'd known where to go was because he always pointed it out in pride whenever they drove past it. In her blind anger, she had ignored the secretary (Keira), and now she was lost on a random floor. Kagome spotted a waiting area with some of the hard uncomfortable chairs you usually see in a doctor's office in front of a small, cluttered desk, and decided to sit down for a moment. Even though there was nobody behind the desk, somebody would surely come soon, and then she could ask them where her husband worked. In the meantime, she could plan an attack strategy.

Kagome, while not an individual who normally dealt with lover's quarrels, was not unaware of how this situation would end up should she just barge into her husband's office without thinking it through. Too many dramatic TV shows had drilled into her head the fact that if she brought this up, she would have to remember that _he was at fault_. No matter how he tried to tell her she was (she scowled, disgust deeply etched on her face) sexually or emotionally unsatisfying, he was the one who had broken their bond of trust. She took a deep breath, placing her head in her hands and leaning forward. She had not been prepared for this when she got up this morning. She chuckled without humour. She hadn't been prepared for this when she entered into this **marriage** either. But while Kagome was many things, a coward was not one of them.

'Before this day is over,' Kagome thought, 'One of us will pay.' A rustle of papers made her look up. A young girl had plopped down into the chair behind the desk and was now staring at the computer, snapping her gum. Kagome observed the girl, secretly glad of something to take her out of her cold, angry thoughts. It was clear from both the cluttered, small waiting room, and the clothes of the youth that this was a lesser floor. A low pony tail of slightly wavy black hair was pulled into a low ponytail. Bright red eyes were trained on her computer, fingers flew over the keyboard at lightening speed. A black t-shirt that proclaimed Three Days Grace was draped over her slender form, leading down to light blue jeans, and ending in black sneakers. In addition to all of this, she had two silver studs in the lobe of her left ear, and three studs in her right ear, two in the lobe, one in the top. Kagome sighed.

Now that the confrontation with her husband was getting closer, she was getting weaker. For a second she just sat there. Then, as if she remembered all of the things her husband had done to her, the forgotten anger came flooding back. 'What the hell is wrong with you!' an inner voice screeched. 'This son of a bitch was playing you, betraying you, and laying with you, and you're just going to let him get away with it?!' Kagome's eyes darkened, and she tightened her fists. 'No! I'm better than this!' Kagome thought to herself. She stood up and strode to the edge of the desk, then waited there for the girl to acknowledge her.

"You should just go home," the girl said in a bored voice, not taking her eyes off the screen in front of her.

"Excuse me?" Kagome said, not believing her ears.

"You heard me," the girl said. "You're never going to be able to convince them to give you more time to make the payments." She finally paused in her typing and turned to look at Kagome.

"I'm not here to make a payment," Kagome finally said. The girl frowned thoughtfully, letting her eyes rake over Kagome's form.

"Let me guess," she said disgustedly. "You're the new secretary for the top floor?"

Kagome frowned. "Why would you say that?"

The girl sighed. "You're pretty." The girl turned back to her computer.

"What does that have to do with being a secretary?" Kagome asked, still confused and mildly irritated.

The girl snorted. "Well, the people at the top have too many employees as it is. And they're hiring more? We all know what that means." Kagome was now more than irritated.

"Enlighten me," she said sarcastically.

The girl sighed, turned to look at Kagome then blew and popped a bubble, revealing a tongue ring. "It means those man-whores at the top are looking for a good lay."

"Souten!" came the deafening yell from one of the open office doors that led to the desk. "Souten" winced, shifting in her computer chair. Kagome hadn't been able to see them before, as she was sitting down, but now she noticed that there were two doors to the left of the desk, leading into offices. One door was open, and one was closed. A man with light brown hair strode out of the open door, and came to stand in front of Souten with an exasperated air. He completely ignored Kagome, but that was fine, as she was still in shock, remembering the day her husband had came home with the promotion.

_*Flashback*_

"_Hey honey," her husband said, as he sat down at the kitchen table for dinner. Kagome had everything ready, just liked he liked it for supper. She sat down opposite him and lifted her fork. "Wait," her husband said, leaning over to place his hand gently over hers. Kagome lifted her eyes from her food to his curiously. He smiled at her lovingly. "Guess what?" he asked grinning happily, his eyes dancing. _

"_What?" she played along. _

"_I got promoted!" he said excitedly. _

"_Really?" she asked smiling. _

"_Yup," he said. "Now I'm in charge of everything!" _

"_That's great, I know you've really wanted that." _

_He stood up and pulled her into a hug. When he released her he brushed his lips across hers. "Yeah, my old man finally decided I was ready for the job," he said, smiling devilishly, one fang visible. _

"_Just make sure you don't burn the place down," Kagome teased. _

"_Oh, you think that's funny?" her husband said. He grabbed her around the waist and started tickling her, running his fingers over her sides. She squirmed, laughing uncontrollably. _

"_Hey, quit it!" she giggled. He collapsed in his chair, laughing with her in his lap, eyes dancing._

"What have I told you about talking that way about your bosses?!" The shouting brought Kagome back to the present, where she watched with dazed eyes as the young man was chewing the teenager out.

"Hey," Souten growled. "If they're stupid enough to get caught, _like that_, then why should I hide it?"

The young man sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "Just try and keep it down, alright? I know you're just a summer intern, but some of us actually want to keep out jobs," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," Souten grumbled, turning back to her computer.

The young man seemed to notice Kagome for the first time, eyes widening. "Mrs. Taisho," he stammered.

Kagome let her thoughts settle for a moment, turning her eyes to him. "Yes?" she asked.

"You were looking for your husband I presume?" he said, sweating slightly under his skin. 'Oh man, he was SO fired!!'

"Yes," Kagome said, now focusing on him, her rage a warm pulsing sensation under her skin that twisted her mouth into an ugly scowl.

The nervous man turned to Kagome. "Did you need some help finding his office?" the man managed to say.

"I would appreciate it," Kagome said.

Souten had turned to regard Kagome with cold, thoughtful eyes. As the man strode ahead of her to lead the way to the elevator, Souten looked her straight in the eyes and drawled, "I never figured you for the wife of a man-whore." Kagome followed the over-helpful employee to the elevator and as the doors closed once again, she let her eyes drift shut, and thought 'Neither did I.'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to impulse960 for the review. I love feedback! ^,^

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome couldn't stop thinking as the elevator raced upwards, towards the face-to-face meeting that she both wanted and dreaded. Her blood was racing, and her head was pounding. She was almost tempted to sit on the elevator floor and put her head between her knees, but that wouldn't give her the image of a calm, cool, collected woman. And the image was something she needed, because she sure as hell couldn't pull this off without it. Even if her mind was screaming and crying and wailing, she didn't have to let anyone else know that.

She closed her eyes, allowing herself the small respite of leaning her head against the cool elevator wall. She sighed. She felt worse than she had when she'd been in her first sparring match. She could still remember it; the feelings that flooded through you. There was the nausea that came from being too nervous, the trembling, the voices ringing in her ears. And she could hear her teacher, her sensei, with his kind eyes that were watching her, shining with something she couldn't understand, young as she had been.

She had taken one look at her opponent, and almost walked out…

*Flashback*

Her challenger was a slightly taller, limber girl who looked like she could win this without even breaking a sweat. A small smirk slid onto her face as she watched Kagome. Kagome was panicking. She turned to walk away. She couldn't do this! When she was two steps away from the edge of the mat, her sensei stepped in front of her.

"Kagome," he said softly.

She looked up at him, and then turned away, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, I can't do this," she said softly, bowing her head. Tears hovered at the edge of her vision. She had disgraced herself, and her teacher. But what was worse was the feeling that she was worthless.

"Kagome," her sensei repeated more firmly. "Look at me." Kagome obeyed, looking deep into coal black eyes that held a strength that she would never know. Her sensei placed his hands on her shoulder. "You can do this. I believe in you. All you need to do is believe in yourself."

Kagome frowned, biting her lip slightly. She sighed. "Alright, if you think I can do it…" She turned back onto the mat and went to the center.

*End flashback*

Kagome smiled slightly. She had lost that day. Her opponent had been much more experienced, she'd had no chance. But in the end, it wasn't about winning or losing. It was about that feeling. The feeling she'd gotten when she'd been able to defend herself, to stand up for herself, to believe in herself. It had been a long time since she'd felt that, but as Kagome opened her eyes to the inside of the elevator, she could feel it rising back up inside her.

***

"We're here, Mrs. Taisho," the overly helpful employee said, as the elevator dinged. He was still up to his eyeballs in sweat. 'Stupid Souten!! Why is she always so loose-mouthed!' "Mrs. Taisho?" he asked, as the elevator doors slid open. His boss' wife was leaning back against the elevator, eyes half open. "Are you alright, Mrs. Taisho?"

Her eyes ambled over the elevator until they reached him. Then they widened as she blushed. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Kagome said. "I'm afraid my mind was wandering."

The employee wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, he could ask why she had a wandering mind. But then she might think he was calling her a ditz. On the other hand, he could be professional and tell her that her husband was in a meeting. (Which he probably was, but there were meetings, and there were _meetings_, as Souten had said.) And on the final hand (which was actually a foot, but he needed another option) he could just deposit her on the top floor and smile as if he was happy as a clam (AN: I never really got that saying. Are clams happier than the rest of us? And how can you tell if a clam is happy?) And then maybe, just maybe, he could keep his job. He nodded in his mind; yes, he was definitely going with that one.

Mind made up, he glanced over at his boss' ditzy wife, only to find that she had disappeared completely. In her place stood the elegant, composed woman that he had encountered in his office. He wondered at the transformation, then, remembering that he was supposed to be a brain-dead employee, shook it off and said, "I hope you can find your husband." Smiling cheerfully, he waited until she exited the elevator, then went to close the doors.

Kagome stepped outside, then turned back to face him. "Oh, I'm sure that I will find everything I'm looking for here." She smiled coldly at him. He wondered at her response as the elevator doors closed, but then decided it was too early in the morning to try to decode what she'd said. However, with that cold smile, and ruthless eyes, he couldn't help but think that she reminded him of someone else he would rather not encounter, if he could help it. Thinking of the direction she had been headed, he chuckled. What he wouldn't give to see a confrontation between those two. Little did he know, had he stuck around, he surely would have gotten his wish.

***

Kagome proceeded down the hallway, determination in her heart and her mind. Things could not go on like this. Something would have to be done, and she was doing it. She'd passed three doors already, before making it into another waiting room. This one was so obviously different from the floors underneath that it was amazing. There were two secretaries sitting upright at the desks, with computers in front of them. Two other empty desks sat to the left of them. Everything was professional and neat, and the air itself was almost different, with a scent of….mmm, she didn't know what it was, but it smelled _nice_. The pristine white walls almost seemed to be a testament to the very organized working environment.

Kagome walked up to one of the occupied desks. The lady at the desk was so different from Souten that she almost couldn't contain her amusement. Her short black hair was pulled back crisply into a bun, and her brown eyes were focused on the computer to a fault. Her word time, however, while impressive, could not beat Souten's. Kagome almost did laugh at that, but she managed to cover her mouth in time. The receptionist looked up at the small sound.

"Excuse me," Kagome asked, amusement gone, remembering the reason she was here. Coldness invaded her eyes. The receptionist didn't look very friendly either. It was crunch time. Kagome let some of her anger and betrayal seep into her tone. "I'm here to see my husband," she continued icily.

At this the other receptionist and both the first receptionist looked up at her, more carefully with critical eyes. The first receptionist then said cautiously, "I'm afraid Mr. Taisho is a bit busy at the moment, but I can call in and see if he can see you."

"That would be fine," Kagome said coolly. On the inside she was raging. 'Oh yeah, I bet he's _busy_ all right."

The receptionist picked up the phone and pressed a number. "Hello? Yes, Mr. Taisho, there's someone here to see you. How important?" The receptionist looked at Kagome, who was staring at the phone as if she could destroy it with her mind. She gulped. "How important is your visit? Mr. Taisho said he's awfully busy right now."

Kagome smiled in a cold, unforgiving way. "You tell him I have a surprise for him."

The receptionist shrank back in the seat. "She said…you heard her. Well, then…alright." The receptionist turned back to Kagome. "He said you can go right in. She pointed to the hallway right behind her. "It's the last door on the right."

"Thank you," Kagome said, her eyes like shards of ice. She continued around the desks and into the hallway. As she entered the hallway, she heard the second receptionist whisper, "I didn't even know Mr. Taisho was MARRIED!" Kagome snarled. 'He didn't even tell the people here we were married?! I'm that worthless?? Oh, he is SO in for it!"

***

"I didn't even know Mr. Taisho was married!" said the second receptionist, leaning over her desk to whisper to the first receptionist.

"Neither did I," the first said. "Can you imagine? Him, _married_?"

"And to a human, no less," said the second. "You know, he HATES humans, and he just chews up his regular dates and spits them out anyways."

"I know," said the first. "But she did seem like she had an awful lot of guts." She sighed. "Scared the pants off of me with those eyes of hers."

The second just grinned. "You know what I always say. It would take a bitch to tame that bastard." The first joined the second as she giggled.

***

Kagome was beyond mad. She was furious. She made it to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the door on the right. 'Calm down,' she told herself. 'You can do this. Just tell him you know what's he's doing and you want a divorce. Ok, I'm ready.' She took a deep breath and held it for a second before letting it go. Placing a hand on the knob, she twisted it, opening the door slowly and letting her eyes adjust.

It was a fairly spacious office, with a large desk in the center. There was a large amount of light coming in, since the whole far wall was a window, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust. When they did she found herself standing in front of the large desk. There was a chair behind it, and her husband was clearly sitting in the chair. She could see the glint of silver just over the edge. She frowned, it had to have been a deep chair, she could barely see him.

Kagome let go of her control and glared openly at her husband. "We need to talk," she growled, with anger leaking from every word.

"That we do," a silky, unfamiliar tenor answered her, as the chair swung around to face her. Kagome gasped, momentarily forgetting even why she'd come here in the first place. Deep honey eyes under dashing silver bangs stared back at her. The birthmarks of his demon heritage showed proudly on his face. The thing that shocked her most was the amused look on his face. He had one eyebrow raised, eyes dancing with amusement.

"So," said Sesshomaru, smirking. "Where's my surprise?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

AN: Thanks to thea for the review. Feedback is still great and awesome! ^^ Also, sorry it took me so long to update. You know, lots of summer to enjoy! (Yes, I had writer's block, but my unofficial beta helped me work with it. Everybody clap for her! She makes everything look better too!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome couldn't move. There were so many things that were wrong with this picture. He was her brother-in-law, and yet he was sitting there with that satisfied smirk, silver locks flowing around his head like a silky halo, looking like the cat that's had the cream. All of the cream. And possibly a fish too. The amused glint in his golden eyes only served to remind her who she was dealing with.

Kagome had rarely had time alone with her brother-in-law before or after the wedding, due to the almost constant animosity between her husband and his brother (Kagome refused to acknowledge the fact that were only half brothers, blood was blood), but the little time she had hadn't been encouraging. He'd been either disdainfully polite, or outright rude. The last time they'd spoken had been right before her wedding, when he'd come into her dressing room to _supposedly_ wish her luck. But what he'd said had been much more than lucky. His exact words were, "I have a hard time deciding who's pulled themselves further down, my half-breed of a brother, by marrying a common human wench, or you, by marrying my disgusting whelp of a half-breed brother." And after saying that, Sesshomaru had turned to leave. But Kagome had stopped him, placing a hand on his arm with lowered eyes.

The rage that had filled her so completely then had been enough to make her eyes water. 'That…that…monster! How dare he!'

"Sesshomaru," she'd said, in a low, carefully composed voice. He'd turned on an angle, just enough so that they could almost be facing each other. She looked up then, tears of rage slipping down her cheeks, a single one on either side. His eyes had been cold and calculating, one eyebrow raised in careful question.

At least he'd dressed for the occasion. Hell, before he'd insulted her, she'd been considering telling him he ALMOST looked better than her groom. No chance of her making that mistake now! Kagome stayed still for a moment. She was already in her dress, but she hadn't put on her veil yet, or done her hair. One hand was clutching Sesshomaru's arm, from when she'd halted him, and the other was at her side, gripping a small bouquet of dark red roses that had been sitting on the vanity.

Then she turned, and in one swift movement slapped Sesshomaru across the face with the flowers. When she looked up at him, his head had still been slightly tilted to the side, small lines of blood from the roses' thorns across his face. His eyes were golden slits of fury and murderous intent. As she'd raised her other hand to slap him again he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him.

"Woman. If you ever attempt to strike me again," his eyes seemed to blaze with anger. "I will not hesitate to dispose of you." Kagome stood defiantly up against him, a tree in a tornado that just managed to desperately cling to the ground.

"Sesshomaru. My name is Kagome. Not woman." Kagome's own eyes raged like the ocean in a tsunami. Then in a swift and completely unexpected movement, she grabbed his wrist with her other hand and twisted it up behind his back. His eyes went wide for a minute, shocked. Then Kagome leaned down by his ear, and said, "And if you ever dirty my husband or myself with your words again, I will personally make your life a living hell." Releasing him easily, she smiled sweetly at him before walking out the door.

* * *

Sesshomaru hadn't personally spoken to her since then. There'd been the occasional phone call for her husband, due to the fact that they worked together, but other than having a very nice chat with his secretary, they were like the sun and the moon. But judging by the look on Sesshomaru's face, something had changed drastically in the time they were apart, and suddenly, the laws of physics weren't looking so solid.

"So," Sesshomaru purred, leaning slightly forward and folding his hands underneath his chin, resting his elbows on his desk. "I'm going to assume that there is no surprise?" He raised one of his eyebrows in mock incredulity, and allowed some of the light to slip from his eyes, feigning disappointment.

"No, well," Kagome stuttered, a blush creeping up her cheeks easily. "I was actually here to see your brother," she continued, turning redder as the seconds passed.

"Half brother," Sesshomaru replied automatically, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers together behind his head. His eyes closed, and the mood relaxed slightly, enough for Kagome to move her shaky form to the chair opposite Sesshomaru. She could almost see the wheels in his head turning… Sesshomaru opened one eye lazily to peer at Kagome discretely under his lashes. Despite his dislike of humans, he couldn't help but admit that Kagome was beautiful. Black silky hair, stunning sapphire orbs, set under long lashes, and pale pink lips. Yes, his brother's wife was delicious looking. And she had no clue, sitting there with her hands in her lap, fidgeting nervously.

Beauty alone was not enough to attract him. Demonesses abounded and he had been courted by enough that he thought he knew that a human could never equal a demon in beauty, but with his brother's wife in front of him, he was willing to admit that humans had charms of their own. He had never seen anyone, human or demon, with eyes like Kagome. _Kagome. _He savoured her name. She was unlike anything he'd ever met. The first time they'd actually had a face-to-face meeting, she'd quite basically insulted him and thrown him on his rump. Of course, he was being a bit cold, insulting her husband on her wedding day. (AN: This is just a sentence that ordinary people, like you and me will acknowledge, not an actual thought of Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru would never notice or care if he was actually being cold. He is a stoic, egotistical bastard. ^^ And we all love him for it.) At the beginning he had been startled, not to mention as furious as Mount Vesuvius before it blew its top. But after a while (and after her exit, when he noticed _just _how good she looked from behind) he realized that she, a human, had stood up to him, a demon. He had been bested by a petite, smart, delicious smelling human. And that, as it is said, was Kagome's unfortunate mistake. Because as we all know, if there is one thing that the great Sesshomaru Taisho cannot ignore, it is a challenge.

He'd sat there, on the ground, eyes narrowed in a mixture of fury and lust, and thought, 'Woman. One day I'll make you see who your alpha is."

He once again eyed his brother's wife, only this time something was different. His eyes had changed from golden orbs to the crimson colour of blood. His inner demon was rising, and he was unable to resist its call.

* * *

Kagome wrung her hands in frustration. The fates hated her. That had to be it. First, her husband had cheated on her. And now she was stuck in his (sexy) older brother's office, when she should be chewing out her husband. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in her 'happy place'. "Why me?!" she groaned internally. She unknowingly abandoned her previous poise and strength and slumped in her chair.

"Kagome," she heard Sesshomaru's smooth, confident voice say. She opened one eye and winced slightly, both at the light and the expression on Sesshomaru's face. He was staring at her, the amused look replaced with what she presumed was bloodlust. His eyes were changing from golden orbs to crimson blood, and Kagome gulped. She knew what that meant, but she never thought it would happen to Sesshomaru! He was the epitome of control, an emotional iceberg!

He got up from his desk just as Kagome stood on shaky legs once more. As much as she tried to resist, her fight or flight response was kicking in, and flight was looking better by the minute. The stripes on Sesshomaru's face were turning jagged, and his eyes were almost completely stained red. The look he was giving her suggested he had been listening to that song, "Hungry Eyes", one too many times. Now, Kagome was a swift woman, as had been proved in their first encounter, and she was a priestess, which meant she had a damn better chance of surviving Sesshomaru's transformation than other people, but as it was, her chances were looking slim at best. Not that Kagome was one to admit defeat.

She gathered herself quickly. She couldn't die yet! There was still the ass-whooping her husband deserved, and while normally she could trust Sesshomaru to deliver that--whether her husband deserved it or not--in his present state, that wouldn't be happening soon. Her eyes flickered imperceptibly to Sesshomaru's main office door, the one she entered through, and she mentally frowned. Kagome would never make it there, and even if she did, Sesshomaru would kill her later for disgracing him in front of his staff. Kagome continued to ponder for a second. There would only be one chance. Sesshomaru was almost transformed, so she would have to work quickly.

And then her time was up and he was behind her. Kagome jumped slightly, before regaining her cool. It just meant it was time to put her plan into action.

Sesshomaru's left arm slid around Kagome's waist, pulling her tightly to him, while his right worked its way through her hair to end up circling her shoulders and simultaneously tilting her head back to reveal her slender throat. Kagome squeaked at the sudden heat emanating off his body. Her eyes closed as she pretended to relax into his hold. Her plan wasn't coming together quite as she'd hoped, and she needed to buy some time. 'I thought he was going to kill me,' thought Kagome, confused.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked huskily, right next to Kagome's ear. His lower arm shifted, bringing her impossibly closer. "I'm just trying to make you feel more…relaxed." His silky hair swept gently by her ear as he leaned in to nip at her throat. His eyes closed at her taste, and he subconsciously licked his lips. 'Delicious,' Sesshomaru thought, moving to sooth the bite mark with his tongue. Sesshomaru wasn't the only happy one. His inner demon was purring at the submission that Kagome openly displayed, that he had longed for, needed. And now, here they were. (AN: See? Dreams do come true. ^^)

Kagome felt the minute relaxation in Sesshomaru's arms, and thought, 'Now!'. She ducked out from his arms, and dashed for the side door of his office. In the split second it took him to realize, growl, and pursue her, Kagome had managed to close and lock the door. She knew that wouldn't be enough, so she placed her palms on the door and sent some purifying energy into the wooden structure. Not enough energy to hurt him, but as she listened to his undignified yelp from the other side of the door, she decided it was enough to buy her some time.

She turned around so that she was leaning against the door and attempted to catch her breath. Purifying energy was hard to control, and she didn't like practicing, so it took a while to remember how to use it. Once she did, everything was hunky-dory, but that usually took a couple days and she didn't have that time. Opening exhausted eyes, she realized she was in another office. It was empty, (luckily) so she stumbled over to the big, comfy office chair behind the desk and relaxed for a second. Her eyes travelled over the items on the desk, pens, pencils, sticky notes, only to land on a golden nameplate that was facing her directly. Sapphire studied the letters engraved into it. "Inuyasha Taisho."

Kagome simply sat there for a second, stilled. Even the growls and snarls from behind the door didn't, couldn't make her move. This was where she needed to be. This was the place she'd been trying to reach, longing for the confrontation her soul desperately needed. 'There's only one question,' thought Kagome wearily. She moaned quietly, and slumped on the desk, burying her head in her arms. Where was her husband?

AN: Once again, I'm sorry it took me so long to post. I know it's no fun when you have to go back and reread chapters to know what's going on.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hello! I am SO sorry this chapter took so long, I was trying to write the one after it, so I had another update ready, and that attempt failed. But here's chapter five, in case anyone actually wants to read it! ^,^

Mentir

Chapter 5

Kagome's mind was at a stand-still. All morning long her thoughts had been boiling and raging, melting together into that one single thought: 'How dare he!' 'How dare he desecrate our marriage by cheating on me! How dare he treat me like nothing more than a…a…" Her mind fumbled for the right word. "…bimbo!!! Like he could do all this, cheat on me, and there was no way that I'd ever find out!" A single tear trickled down her cheek, and she sniffed. She felt completely hopeless, like the five-year-old that searches for their mother in the department store only to find that they're all alone.

The whines and growls at the office door had died down to whimpers. Kagome was just wondering if she should let Sesshomaru in or not (so that they could at least discuss what had happened) when the door exploded in a shatter of splinters.

"Well," thought Kagome drily, "that answers that question." She quickly straightened in her seat and fixed her hair, preparing herself for the confrontation that she knew was coming. Not the confrontation that she prepared for, mind you, but with the way this day had gone so far, she honestly wasn't that surprised that she was here, now.

It took two seconds for Sesshomaru to be in front of her, red eyes blazing, growling menacingly, hair blowing in the nonexistent breeze. Honestly, if Kagome had been herself in that moment, she probably would have been praying for the floor to swallow her up. And possibly never spit her out again. But as we all know, the earth rarely swallows people, and never people who wish to be swallowed. Not that Kagome was scared. After everything that had happened, Kagome was finally going into shock. Her eyes were blank, and the front of her mind was looping the sentence, 'How dare he!' while the back of her mind was saying, 'I hope I don't have to pay for that door.'

***

Sesshomaru had never been so furious! He thought that he'd been angry when his housekeeper had bought him perfume for Christmas in an effort to tell him he was too feminine. He thought he'd been incensed when Rin, his favourite little cousin, had gotten drunk for the first time, and stumbled home in the wee hours of the morning. He thought he'd been ferocious when Inuyasha had tricked the painters into turning his office pink. But all of those things were inconsequential next to the feeling inside of him now.

He snarled at the woman in front of him. 'How dare she trick him, that conniving wench!' The sad thing was, her challenge only aroused him more. He hadn't realized how tired he'd been of docile females until she'd ran. And then he'd known. He had to have her, if only to bed her. His brother owed him anyway, for something he couldn't really remember in his beastly state. He eyed her, that delectable female, seeming even smaller in the large leather chair his brother favoured.

The urge to flip her over the desk and have his way with her was becoming way too strong to resist. If he didn't control it, he was going to destroy more of his brother's office than his door.

"Bitch," he snarled, addressing her.

***

"Bitch," she heard Sesshomaru growl at her.

Somewhere in the back of her mind annoyance surfaced. Hadn't she told him she had a name and he should use it? But she merely folded her hands in her lap and met Sesshomaru's crimson eyes.

"Sesshomaru," she returned politely, but coldly. She inwardly smirked as his eyes narrowed at her tone. She watched his fists clench until blood started to drip onto the carpet. He snarled at her again and, baring his fangs, managed to say, "Bitch, you will submit to me or face the consequences."

He seemed to be gaining control over himself. Kagome eyed him. She didn't know why she was having this conversation with Sesshomaru anyway. The only thing she knew was that she liked having some control over the situation, here, right now. And she knew she would lose that if she left. She scowled at his words. Kagome stood up and glared into his eyes with unknown strength. Her own fists clenched unconsciously, and her powers, dangerously low from lack of use, sizzled.

"I submit to no one!" Kagome snarled, surprising herself with the ferocity of her words. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to almost slits, and he smirked at her.

"So be it," Sesshomaru said confidently. He took a step forward and she stepped back and placed one hand against the desk, readying herself to leap over it. The stupid desk chair that had seemed so nice in the beginning was now in her way; if she wanted to escape the only way was to leap over the desk. She readied herself. And then there was no space between them and she was pressed between Sesshomaru's very MALE physique, and the asexual desk. He pressed up against her even more and her eyes shot open wide. This wasn't supposed to happen! She placed her hands on his chest and attempted to push him away, but he merely chuckled at her feeble attempt and leaned his face closer to hers ominously.

"Wait, Sesshomaru," Kagome attempted to reason with him. Clarity was rushing in, overtaking the shock. He reached one hand around her waist, and pushed forward with his own body, sitting her on the desk. He then stepped in between her legs and pulled her flush against him. Sesshomaru smirked and leaned even closer.

"Wait, Sesshomaru!" Kagome said again, panicking. She flailed her arms in an attempt to get him away from her. "We can't—mphhh." Kagome gasped as Sesshomaru's hot mouth slid over hers, momentarily silencing her. She couldn't help it; she completely melted into him. It had been so long since Inuyasha had even kissed her, and this…this felt so _right_. Her hands moved into his hair, pulling him closer to her as she sighed happily into the kiss. Sesshomaru growled his approval as he left her lips to kiss along her jaw and down her neck. Kagome could feel him up against her so clearly, and she suddenly realized in the back of her mind that her skirt was pushed up _extremely_ high. But before she could do anything, Sesshomaru nipped that one spot on her neck, and she merely whimpered slightly, before slipping back into a lustful daze.

***

Sesshomaru had never felt so satiated from merely kissing someone. The instant her fingers had touched him he'd lost control. He pulled her even closer, running the hand that had previously been on her waist over her back only to realize that he'd left huge slashes in the back of her shirt from his claws. As the heated flesh passed under his fingers, he groaned internally. He couldn't take much more of this. He eyed her shirt and used his left hand to pull open the buttons of her jacket, and then her blouse, while his right arm held her close. His tongue and fangs continued to travel along her collarbone. Red eyes narrowed, this time in satisfaction at Kagome's half-lidded eyes and bruised lips, as well as the taste of her skin. 'Now,' he thought as he sought out her lips once more. 'Time to get down to business.'

***

Kagome couldn't stop the soft mewls from escaping her mouth. 'He was just so… and his _hands_ were so…' she groaned as his mouth touched another soft spot on her neck. Sesshomaru's lips found hers again, and she was panting against his lips. (AN: Keep that in mind, people. As bad as it is (for underage teenagers), sex = exercise. :) ) He had one hand inside her shirt…wait, when did that happen? She tried to open her eyes and unlace her hands from his hair, but it felt so amazing. She let her eyes slide back shut and she relaxed. It wouldn't be so bad, Kagome thought hazily.

And then his other hand made itself known. Kagome's eyes snapped open. That was not supposed to be there! She didn't know how, but her hands were on his wrist and she was quickly pulling his hand out of her skirt.

"Whoa, there cowboy," Kagome said, in a high-pitched voice. She pushed Sesshomaru away from her, (AN: Hand and all. ;) ) and sat on the desk for a second, out of breath. Once her lungs were full of oxygen, she narrowed her eyes at Sesshomaru menacingly. He merely smirked once again, golden eyes gazing at her lustfully.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sesshomaru purred. He attempted to get closer to her, but she kicked her feet out to deter him. Kagome pulled herself over the desk and landed on the other side swiftly, almost hitting the chair in her efforts. As she landed she put up a thin barrier to keep him from getting too close while she gathered her thoughts. Kagome looked down at her clothes and groaned. A couple of her buttons had come off when he'd ripped her shirt open, but she realized that they were on her blouse and maybe if she did her jacket up no one would notice. This was, of course, before she realized that there were four perpendicular slashes through the back of her jacket.

'Note to self,' Kagome thought. 'Buy demon-proof clothes. Just in case.' Sighing, Kagome did up her jacket anyways. 'There goes my dignity,' thought Kagome cheerfully. Rubbing her sore derriere, she thought, 'My pride's a little sore too.' She looked up just in time to see Sesshomaru approaching, stopping outside her barrier. She figured it was an effort to respect her, since her barrier was as nonexistent as her drained powers, by this point. His angry face was back, she noticed. She turned to go and felt Sesshomaru grab her by the arm. She didn't turn around.

"Where are you going, Kagome," Sesshomaru asked angrily. "You want this as much as I do." He moved closer, pulling her against him despite the small tingle of her powers. He leaned in and nuzzled her neck, purring when the scent of her arousal reached him. He smirked arrogantly. "Don't deny it," he said cockily. "I can smell it."

Kagome broke free of his grasp and stalked to the door. "Listen, Sesshomaru," she hissed. "If you ever try that again, I MAY lose control of my powers." She let her gaze travel a little lower in a deliberate fashion. "And YOU may lose some of your…more important appendages." She opened the door and paused with one hand on the handle to look back at him. She smiled sweetly at him. "I'm sure that one of your secretaries will be more than willing to oblige you." She gestured discreetly towards his lower half. And with that, Kagome strode out of her husband's office and towards the elevator.

***

"Hear that?" the first secretary asked the second. The second cocked her head in the direction of the offices. The crashes had stopped, and what sounded distinctly like heavy breathing was coming from Inuyasha's office.

"Wow," said the second secretary. "Sesshomaru-sama sure is aggressive." Her eyes widened, trained on the office door.

The first snorted. "With his personality, would you expect anything less?" All the noise stopped again. Loud voices erupted from the room. The secretaries watched carefully. They couldn't make out words, but it didn't sound good. Suddenly Kagome strode out of the room slamming the door behind her. She flew right past the secretaries. The first secretary could only make out a few words, and none of them were G-rated. She almost laughed, but caught herself when Kagome shot her a look that could melt marshmallows. (AN: That's right! Metaphors can be fun! *makes smores*) She passed them and headed into the elevator, pressing the button firmly. Neither secretary breathed until the elevator was gone.

"Holy shit," said the second secretary, "That was SCARY!" The first nodded in agreement. They sat in silence until a couple seconds later, when the office door creaked open and a furious Sesshomaru appeared soundlessly before them. Both secretaries gulped.

"Saya," snarled Sesshomaru, addressing the first and eldest secretary.

"Y-yes, Sesshomaru-sama," Saya stammered, quaking in her chair.

"A check will need to be made to the half-breed for his broken furniture." With that, Sesshomaru strode into his office and slammed the door.

The second secretary leaned over to Saya and whispered, "So who was scarier?"

Saya glanced at the office door and shuddered. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "But I think I just lost ten years of my life." The second secretary giggled slightly, and returned to her work. Saya got out the chequebook and marked down a fair amount and the name, but when she reached the memo spot she was stumped. She thought for a moment, than studied the closed door of her boss. In small letters next to the 'memo' heading she wrote "lover's quarrel".


	6. Chapter 6

Mentir

Chapter 6

AN: Thanks to disneyrulz23 and knifethrower for the reviews. I always love feedback, and if you want you can email me with questions about previous chapters and I'll answer them when I update. Ummm…what else? This story was actually inspired by the song Mentir by Marie-Mai, so if you want to you can google it or whatever.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, I would have stated it in Chapter one, instead of waiting till Chapter five to reveal that tasty tidbit.

As the doors closed, Kagome's mind couldn't stop racing. Emotions were flying through her shaking frame. Shame…she'd just had a fling (albeit small and unwilling) with her brother-in-law! Guilt…despite that her husband was a liar and a cheat, she still loved him. And last of all…remorse, and more shame…because it hadn't gone any further. Kagome crumpled against the side of the elevator and let out a moan of frustration. 'Damn Sesshomaru for tempting her, damn her husband for making her unable to go to him in this time of very _physical_ need, and damn the fates for laughing at them all' thought a pissed Kagome.

All of a sudden the elevator dinged and the doors opened slowly. Kagome peeked from between her fingers to see the teenage girl from before who'd called her the wife of a man-whore…what was her name again? Souten? The girl walked in with an expressionless face before pressing the button for the lobby and coming to stand beside her. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder, and she just stared at the doors for a moment while the elevator doors closed, as if Kagome wasn't even there.

Once the doors closed, however, she turned to look at Kagome with her cold, red eyes that now held a slight spark of curiosity.

"So," began Souten dryly. "What chewed you up and spat you out?" One side of her mouth lifted slightly in a mischievous smile. Kagome sighed, then opened her position slightly and moved her hands to rest on her lap, so Souten could see her face and she could see Souten's.

"Life," replied Kagome wearily. "Life decided I was the bug and it was the windshield." She scowled at the wall, picturing her husband's face, then wincing as it turned into Sesshomaru's lustful gaze. She shook her head violently, dark hair flying around her face. 'No,' she thought. 'I can't do this. I need to get a handle on myself.' She placed a hand to her now throbbing head and sighed. Souten observed her for a moment more, before turning to the front of the elevator once again.

"Well," Souten said, grinning slightly. Kagome looked up at the tone of her voice, surprised. "When life gives you lemons, throw watermelons back." Kagome observed her, sapphire eyes calculating, before she threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

"That makes no sense," Kagome huffed. She stood up as the elevator lurched to a stop, and faced Souten. The elevator doors slid open, but both people ignored it as they looked at each other. Souten was still grinning. It wasn't really a happy grin, more of an I-am-the-hungry-wolf-and-you-are-the-little-rabbit grin. Kagome knew that grin. It said, 'I am dangerous.'

Souten leaned back against the elevator once more, losing her slight sense of decorum that she'd had when she'd entered the elevator.

"Listen, Kagome," Souten said. Kagome interrupted her easily, ignoring the slight sound of annoyance Souten made.

"How do you know my name?" Kagome demanded.

"That's not important," Souten said. Kagome caught slight glimpses of her tongue ring as she talked and absently wondered what happened when she went to the dentist. Did she have to take it out?

"Of course it's important," Kagome replied. "What if you were stalking me?" Souten rolled her eyes.

"I have much better things to do then stalk you," she said, annoyed. "But if you really want to know, I looked up your profile on the computer when you left the office."

"But why?" asked Kagome, ignoring, for the moment, that it was a complete invasion of privacy.

"Because I like your spirit," Souten said, grinning once again. "I'm sorry I called you the wife of a man-whore, but only because it startled you. Besides," here she punched Kagome lightly on the shoulder, "I'm sure someone with enough guts to come here to pummel her husband for cheating on her could take something like that, no sweat." Once again, Kagome was slightly confused.

"How did you know why I was here?" she asked. Souten laughed.

"Well, with the look on your face you sure as hell weren't here to deliver his lunch. Everyone knows what he does. And after I heard what happened with Sesshomaru-" Here Kagome cut her off.

"What happened with Sesshomaru?" Kagome ignored the fact that this was once again a major invasion of privacy. "But how could you know that? I was just UP there!" Her voice rose in frustration at her state of confusion. Souten shrugged.

"I instant message with some of the girls on the higher floors." Instant messaging…Kagome remembered Souten's fingers flying over the keyboard…so that's what it was! Hmmm, maybe she'd been underestimating Souten. She let her gaze travel over Souten, who watched her with no acknowledgement of what she was doing, although she must have known.

"Are you done?" asked Souten, slightly amused. Kagome jumped. Damn, this girl kept her on her toes, that was for sure.

"Before you interrupted," she gave Kagome a slightly annoyed look, "I was going to say that you need some help." She straightened up, closed her red eyes with a smile of satisfaction, and crossed her arms in front of herself. Kagome merely observed her in confusion. "You clearly don't know how to go about this the right way." She opened one eye and observed Kagome once again before closing it and sighing. "Although, that _is_ to be expected. You look like a "good girl". It's mildly disgusting."

Kagome continued to stand there, mollified. Souten opened her eyes to find her staring at her blankly. She rolled her eyes and grabbed Kagome's arm, pulling her out of the elevator. "Come _on_, we haven't got all day." Souten pulled her around the elevator towards the side door where the employees parked. Kagome thought about calling for help, but decided against it when she realized no one was present. Instead, she let Souten drag her out to a small blue car with red fuzzy dice hanging above the dashboard. Here, she paused.

"This is your car?" asked Kagome curiously. Souten rolled her eyes once again.

"No," she said sarcastically. "This is your early birthday present. Surprise!" She made a mock happy face. Souten unlocked the driver's door, then slid in, shoving her bag into the bag seat. Kagome just looked at her for a second. Did she seriously just expect her to drive off with a complete stranger? For all she knew, Souten could work for a pimp or something, and then where would she be?

Souten looked up in time to see Kagome bite her lip nervously.

"Oh, for the love of God," Souten said crossly. She leaned across and opened the door. "I'm not going to molest you or anything. We're just going to talk." Kagome frowned, still nervous. Souten sighed.

"Listen," she said. "If I wanted to kidnap you or whatever, I could have just knocked you out when we got into the garage." She gestured at the empty parking spaces. "No one would know until tomorrow. But I didn't." She looked Kagome straight in the eyes. "_Because I want to help you._ Sheesh, is that so hard to understand?" She looked away and leaned back in her seat, placing her hands over the steering wheel.

"Now, you can go back to your cookie-cutter existence as the wife of a cheating asshole, or you can come with me and fix this together. What do you say?" She was now looking at Kagome again, and Kagome could see her own reflection in Souten's eyes. 'How long has it been since someone offered me help?' thought Kagome. 'Not holding the door, or buying me coffee, but actual, sincere help?' And she couldn't come up with an answer. So she slid in beside Souten.

"Finally," snorted Souten as Kagome buckled herself in and Souten started the car, having already buckled herself in. "Now, the only question is…" She turned back to Kagome, a slightly fanged grin that showed her demon heritage plastered on her face. "Lady Gaga or Green Day?"

* * *

As the little blue car sped through the town at about twice the speed limit, Kagome started to think. Souten was ignoring her so far, so she started to gather her conclusions of the day. They were:

Her husband had cheated on her.

He didn't expect her to find out, which indicated that he thought little of her intelligence.

Even though Kagome was normally a creature of forgiveness, and she believed that everyone deserved a second chance, she couldn't bring herself to find any sympathy for her husband.

Either Sesshomaru was really horny, or Kagome had put pheromones on this morning.

Souten clearly had somethingto say, so she should probably hear her out.

And where did this leave her? In a car with a teenager who was alternating between belting out Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", and weaving between cars. A particularly sharp turn jolted Kagome into the side of the car. She looked up in alarm in time to see someone in a black car with red flames down the sides swerve into the lane in front of them.

"Bastard," muttered Souten, flipping him off. Kagome looked at her for a second, and then she couldn't help it. She covered her mouth to stifle the laughter, but Souten caught it. She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

"What's so funny?" she asked, curious. Kagome wiped a tear from the corner of her watering eyes. She smiled warmly at Souten.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just that you remind me of an old friend of mine. She had road rage too." She relaxed more in her seat.

"Is that so?" asked Souten, grinning again. "Always nice to know there are more crazy people out there." The black car had disappeared from view. Souten signalled to get into the right lane, then pulled in and turned a little while later onto the housing streets. She pulled into the parking lot of a nice apartment building, and parked easily. Swinging her legs out of the vehicle she hopped out and started twirling her keys on her fingers.

Kagome seemed to be more in control of herself now, so she stepped out of the car herself, although in a slightly more decorous fashion than Souten. At the memory of her old friend, a hard-core feminist who kept her husband in line with her quick wit and even quicker hands, her self-worth had come rushing back to her, although the cold, hard rage of earlier was still slightly dulled.

"So, is this where you live?" asked Kagome, now curious herself. She observed the quaint apartment setting from the outside, with the nice garden by the entrance and compared it to Souten's punkish attitude.

"Yup," Souten stated simply, grabbing her bag from the back seat and heading towards the entrance. She walked through part of the parking lot to reach the door. As Kagome was following her she noticed a black car with red on the sides that looked suspiciously like the one that had cut them off. 'Nah,' thought Kagome. She mentally shrugged. The possibility was infinitesimal. As she followed Souten through the door and the lobby to the elevator she realized that she knew next to nothing about Souten once again. The silence in the elevator, while not awkward, did merit an opportunity to learn something.

"So," started Kagome as Souten turned to face her. "Why are you working at the office anyways?" The floors passed by rapidly.

"My uncle said that I needed to get a job," Souten said, shrugging. "He offered to find me the place and reference me, so it wasn't really a big deal." She paused to play with her tongue stud, thinking. "I think he's friends with Sesshomaru, but I'm not sure." The elevator dinged, and Kagome followed Souten out the elevator doors to the only wooden door on the floor. Souten stuck her key in the lock while Kagome continued to think.

"You're the only person in this hall," Kagome asked in surprise. Apartments were fairly expensive, especially nice ones like these, and it didn't sound like Souten made a lot of money at the office. Souten shrugged, then slung her bag forward over her hip and pushed the door open.

Kagome held the door open for herself, then stepped inside. Despite the fact that it looked horribly expensive outside, inside it was more of a comfortable atmosphere, with a lot of modern furniture and accessories. The main colours seemed to be blue, black and white, with some silver here and there. Kagome guessed that that was Souten's influence, since she seemed more like the "chillaxed" type. Souten led her into the living room, which was separated from the kitchen by a bar with stools. She then grabbed an apple from the fridge and stuck it in her mouth, before gesturing for Kagome to make herself comfortable.

Kagome sat on one of the stools at the bar. She was still kind of nervous, as this was uncharted territory, which was why she jumped when Souten reappeared without her bag. Souten hopped onto the stool next to her and observed her carefully while munching on her apple. She finished it easily, then walked over to the cupboard under the sink and tossed it into the compost. After this, she wiped her hand and walked back to the stool, all without saying a word. Once she was again seated, however, the dam of silence was broken.

"Alright," said Souten. "Here's how it works." She observed Kagome carefully but found nothing; Kagome was hiding all emotion from her face. Souten nodded slightly in approval. "The brutal truth is that your husband is a liar and a cheat." When Kagome's face didn't change, she continued.

"There are two courses of action you could take to this. You can do nothing, or you can do something. The nothing is easy. It basically means you ignore the problem until your husband tells you that it's time for you to "see different people" or it means you ignore the problem until you meet someone else who's worth leaving your husband for, at which point in time you will be ready for the something. The something is basically you telling your husband to beat it, that you know what he's doing, he's a jackass, and if he wanted a whore he should have married one instead of a self-respectable woman." Souten finished all this and took a deep breath, waiting for Kagome to say something.

While Souten had been talking, Kagome had been letting her eyes wander the room in an effort to control her emotions, but as Souten continued, a boy entered the kitchen from behind them and casually started going through the fridge. She analyzed him from behind. 'Hmmm,' thought Kagome. "Tall, long, dark hair, nice physique…' Then her eyes widened as she realized what she was doing. She was checking a guy out the day that she'd realized her husband was cheating on her! She slumped against the counter. Apparently her husband wasn't the only one who thought their marriage was over.

The guy turned around and caught her eyes, smirking. She noticed he had the same bright red eyes as Souten, and the same slightly arrogant smirk. His demonic aura seemed to be much stronger than Souten's though, pushing and testing against her own spiritual powers. She frowned and pushed back. He raised an eyebrow slightly, while taking a sip of the can of pop he'd pulled out of the fridge.

"Kagome?" asked Souten. She waved a hand in front of her face. "Anybody home?" Kagome blushed slightly and turned to face Souten.

"Sorry," she said. Souten opened her mouth to start again, but the hot guy beat her to it.

"So," he said, and both girls turned to face him, Souten looking annoyed, Kagome still blushing at being caught. "Is there any reason why there is a particularly delectable looking female in the kitchen?" He grinned at Kagome, and Kagome felt her blush become much darker. 'Hello, gods,' Kagome thought. "Invisibility would be really handy right now. Please? No? Ok, then.' She ducked her head slightly.

"Stop embarrassing my boss," Souten said, annoyed. "And if you think that I forgot that you cut me off today, I didn't, bastard." She scowled at the guy. Kagome started.

"That was you?" she asked curiously. He flicked his sister, before smirking at her once again.

"Every second, babe," he said sexily. "What can I say? I like it **fast**." After this he winked at Kagome, and she just blushed even harder and hid her eyes. He turned to Souten.

"So, squirt," he said. "You going to introduce me to your charming boss or do we just get to continue flirting?" His smirk hadn't left, and he glanced at Kagome as he said this.

"We are not flirting," blurted out Kagome without thinking. His eyebrow rose once again.

"Oh?" he asked. "But you were enjoying yourself, weren't you?" The deep tone of his voice made Kagome unconsciously shiver, and he merely smirked even more arrogantly.

"Ok, ok, enough with the witty banter," Souten interrupted. She turned towards Kagome. "Hiten, this is my boss's wife, Kagome. Kagome, this is my jerk of a brother, Hiten." Hiten continued to smirk and lifted Kagome's hand to his lips. She merely squeaked in reaction, and turned so hot she thought she'd faint.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagome," he purred. His ruby eyes smouldered at her, and she almost melted into her stool, when he replaced her hand on the table.

'And here I thought things couldn't get any more complicated,' thought Kagome in a daze.

AN: Hahaha!!!! I am a very sadistic person, leaving cliffies. Oh, well. Also, the saying is from my friend, so I give her all credit for it, and I don't own Lady Gaga, or her song, or Green Day. And now I am legally in the clear. ^,^


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

AN: Hello, wonderful readers of mine. Although I don't really know how many of you there are, since you don't review…*hint hint*…lol. So here's the next chapter of Mentir. Nobody emailed me with questions or anything, not even about the pairing. T.T Is nobody curious???? Does nobody love me???? *takes deep breath* Ok, I'm done being melodramatic now. Enjoy the chappie. ^^

'Alright,' thought Kagome. 'Time to take inventory.' She glanced at the two people in the kitchen and proceeded to analyze their motives with surprising swiftness. She found that sometimes when she was lost in a situation, this helped.

Person: Souten

State: Annoyed, both at Kagome for spacing out, and at her jerk of a brother for interfering

What does she want: to help

No further information has been filed at this time.

Person: Hiten

State: Smexy as hell (AN: Sorry, couldn't resist ^^')

What does he want: Unknown

No further information has been filed at this time.

This was definitely the kind of situation Kagome avoided. She was the kind of person who picked her battles and prepared beforehand. In fact, Kagome realized, this morning was the only time that she hadn't done that, and look where it had landed her. First, in Sesshomaru's office, where she almost got sexed up, and now in a kitchen with an employee, who had a brother who looked like _he_ wanted to sex _her _up. Wait, Kagome thought, that meant he was looking at her again. She gulped, then met his lusty orbs weakly.

"We don't need your help Hiten," argued Souten heatedly. "I was just about to help Kagome myself." She had leaned both arms on the counter in an effort to get closer to her brother and enforce her point, but he merely continued to smirk.

"So, Kagome, was it?" Hiten asked, sliding down the counter to lean closer to Kagome. She dazedly took notice of the studs that were in both of his ears. Well, like sister like brother, Kagome thought. She squeaked as he moved even closer to her, and leaned his head on his hands to peer into her eyes thoughtfully.

"So what's the problem?" Hiten asked curiously, as Kagome gulped and scooted her stool away from the counter in an attempt to slide away from him discreetly. After achieving a safe distance from the sexy, womanizing male, she composed herself, only to find Hiten watching her amusedly, and Souten still fuming at being ignored, both by her older brother and Kagome.

"Nothing," stammered Kagome, uncomfortable with all the attention. "I was just…on a wobbly part of the floor." She laughed nervously, brushing her hair back behind her ear. Souten rolled her eyes.

"He meant why are you in our house," Souten said, turning so that she was facing both Hiten and Kagome at the counter. Kagome was finally getting control of her wits once more, so she avoided looking at Hiten and focused over his shoulder as she replied.

"Oh, that," said Kagome, frowning. She looked at Souten, as if to ask her how much to divulge, but Souten merely sighed and leaned back, rolling her eyes closed once again. She cracked her neck, then settled onto her stool and leaned forward to engage her brother.

"Alright, here's how it shakes down," Souten said, eyes focusing determinedly on her brother, who was actually cooling down enough to pay attention to Souten.

"Kagome's husband is one of the rich businessmen I work for at Taisho industries, one Inuyasha Taisho. In the past he was faithful enough, but lately he's been getting an _itch_ that he needed a little help _scratching_, if you get my drift." The quotations had been clear enough in Souten's voice, but she'd helped by raising her hands and making air quotations as well, so her brother would have no doubt what she was talking about. Kagome had settled into leaning on the counter with a slightly bored and wary look a ways away from Hiten, but as Souten's explanation ended, she couldn't help snorting a little, at which both siblings turned to look at her. Hiten had that one eyebrow up, looking at her inquisitively, while Souten was looking at her curiously, as if wondering what she left out.

"What Souten has so nicely forgotten to mention," Kagome started coldly, anger flaring up again at the mention of her unfaithful husband, "is that the lately that you're talking about has been about a year, and he has found numerous people to _itch _his _scratch_." Kagome didn't bother with the air quotes, knowing that the other two would hear them clearly in her voice.

Hiten waited a moment after Kagome had finished before whistling slightly. When both girls turned to look at him, he merely smiled softly.

"I'm sorry," Hiten said. He gestured towards Kagome. "But you're telling me he had all _that _to come home to, and he went out for sex?" He leaned back against the counter and closed his eyes with an aggravated sigh. "What an idiot."

Kagome smiled slightly at that, and giggled slightly when he peeked out from under his lashes to shoot her a sly smirk.

"Yes, yes," Souten said impatiently, flinging her arms in front of her as if to disturb the sudden connection between the two. "We've determined that the beloved man-whore is indeed a first-class douche bag." She settled her arms on the counter, apparently satisfied that she had their attention once more. Kagome focused on her, taking note of how genuinely she seemed to care about the situation.

"But now," continued Souten in a slightly darker voice, "the question is how to take revenge." At this Kagome's mind halted. 'Wait a second,' Kagome thought. 'I don't remember agreeing to this.' Souten continued on, not able to hear Kagome's mental roadblocks.

"Simply exposing the bastard for the man-whore he is would be tasteless." Her bright crimson eyes turned cold and calculating. "Whatever we do has to devastate him completely."

"Wait," said Kagome, confused. "I don't remember agreeing to this whole revenge business." She bit her lip nervously, afraid that Souten would be mad at her interruptions. Instead, Souten merely looked slightly surprised. However, Hiten was the one who spoke first, from his position against the fridge. His own crimson eyes were colder than before, as if her story had physically cooled his advances, and he had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't you want to get back at him?" Hiten asked, intensely focusing on her brilliant sapphire eyes. Kagome dropped her own eyes to her hands. Her emotions were spiralling out of control, and she didn't really know WHAT she wanted to do. She was mad at her husband, sure, but was revenge what she wanted? Wouldn't that only make the hurt last longer, the bitterness grow and fester in her heart? Did she want to be one of those bitter women who takes away everything from someone for one mistake? On the other hand were all those nights that he'd come home smelling like beer and cigarettes. All those nights of waking up at midnight only to have him crawl into bed and trying, despite that, to forget that he was even there, because having him there, then, only reminded her of how very absent he had been before. Kagome sighed.

"Listen, Souten," Kagome said, eyes lifting slightly to glance over Souten's face. To Kagome's surprise she was waiting impatiently for Kagome to finish. She didn't even bother looking at Hiten, having basically forgotten that he was there after all that reminiscing. "I love my husband very much. That hasn't changed." Souten's face was struggling to hold back disgust at the mushy details and soft manner taken towards her womanizing husband. "Maybe he made some wrong decisions. But we all do." She shrugged, smiling softly. "Forgiveness is divine." Kagome nodded, more to herself than Souten. This was the right decision. She could feel it.

"I know that you're just trying to help me…" Her voice trailed off into slight shock as she looked up only to see Souten with an ugly scowl on her face. Her eyes were cold and closed off.

"What's wrong?" asked Kagome, bewildered. She reached an arm out to Souten only to have her take a step back.

"I was wrong about you," Souten said coldly. Kagome couldn't understand where all of this was coming from. Where had the calm, collected girl from before gone?

"You don't have what it takes to dump him. You never could." Her eyes glared at Kagome. Kagome physically winced. The words cut through her like a knife, slicing through to the core of her being.

"Souten, I don't understand…" Kagome started, arms dropping to her sides. It was wrong to be here, she could feel it now. She just needed to go home.

"God, you don't get it, do you?" Souten's frustration and anger was creeping into her voice now. "You're not even a person to him. You're just a…just a plaything! A fuck-buddy! And not even that! You just clean his clothes, make his meals." Her eyes shone with anger, bright and vicious. "You're nothing but the hired help!" Her voice echoed across the room. Kagome shook visibly as Souten's gaze and words pierced her.

"Souten," Hiten said firmly. Kagome glanced at Souten from under lowered and slightly tearful lashes. She was breathing hard, glaring no longer at Kagome, but over her shoulder into the hallway. Kagome moved her eyes to Hiten. He walked over and placed a hand on Souten's shoulder. "That's enough." He locked eyes with Kagome in a comforting manner before guiding Souten past Kagome and into the hallway. As Souten passed her, head down in a defeated pose, Kagome was startled to see clear diamonds working their way down her cheeks. Hiten led her through the hallway and into a room before returning. He stepped around Kagome then lifted her chin to see directly into her eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly, and as Kagome looked into his eyes, she saw what had first drawn her to his sister; that understanding and willingness to help, coupled with genuine empathy. "Here," he put an arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner, and directed her to the door. "I'll drive you home."

The journey home was mostly silent, as Kagome wrestled with Souten's words. As much as she hated to admit it, they rang true. Her husband had changed since she'd first wed him. No longer did his eyes shine with love, with happiness, with hope. There was a friendly companionship, but nothing close to the passion and devotion that had existed in the man that she married. Not only that, but he didn't treat her like his wife. In spite of their close talks to keep their lines of communication open, he treated her like expensive help, someone who was an old family friend, but still, was only a part of the staff, not an actual family member.

Upon realizing that she was being cheated on, anger had sprung up in Kagome like a vengeful dragon, mixing with the myriad of emotions such as sadness and heartbreak. They had gathered together in her soul like the wilted flowers on her windowsill in the summer heat, drooping under the sun's intense rays. Now, she could feel her soul freezing over. The numbness that came with the intense hurt of realizing that she didn't occupy even an abysmally small place of importance in her husband's life was devastating, but the unfeeling numbness made coping so much easier.

Two crystal tears slid down her cheeks. Kagome's mind started to shut down. She just…needed to get home, that was it. And she would walk in the door, and her husband would be there, and he would explain everything, and then it would all be warm, and happy, just like it used to be.

As sad as those delusions were, they were horribly close to what Kagome had been using to fool herself since her husband had started changing, and she adapted to them easily. It would all be ok. She repeated it in her head, over and over, like a mantra, only to stop when Hiten parked the car in her driveway and opened her door to help her out.

"We're here," he said gently, offering her a hand out. She woke up from her mental loop and took his hand to help her out, dazedly starting towards the door, only to find him pulling her back towards him.

"Hey, listen," Hiten said, crimson eyes squinting in an attempt to convince her of his sincerity. "I know you've had a really crappy day, what with your husband, and now my sister, and all that. But if you need anything…" His eyes looked into hers with startling depth of emotion. Kagome's eyes travelled slowly over his face, and as she understood what he was saying, she nodded. He handed her a piece of paper, understanding that she was having a mental breakdown, and didn't really know what was going on. She felt him fold her fingers over the piece of paper, and she curled them around it instinctively.

"If you need anything, call ok?" Hiten said, letting his concerned eyes rove her face for some hint of understanding. Kagome nodded, and he took one last look over her and left, pulling back out into traffic. She shifted her bag over her shoulder, and started walking towards the house, shuffling her feet slightly. She felt so lost, like her soul wasn't actually contained in her body, but was floating somewhere nearby. Then all of a sudden, it was as if it actually detached, and she was watching herself.

She observed with broken eyes as she dug her key out from her purse and opened the door, silently entering the house and closing it behind her. As she watched herself slip her shoes off, she thought she heard something. The sound reached her physical ears first, and in an effort to hear it during her out of body experience, she leaned closer and melded back into herself. Gaining more strength in her limbs, she travelled down the hallway in her knee-highs, feet creeping so soundlessly not even a demon would hear them.

The noises increased in volume and clarity as she approached the bedroom. The door was slightly closed, but through the small amount of light and vision, she could see enough.

There was her husband, her life partner, her lover, on his knees next to their marital bed. He was kneeling inside of some decidedly female legs, and his head was clearly bent downward. His silver hair flowed over his back, and the noises coming from him assured his role in her betrayal. As if that wasn't enough evidence, the sounds that were coming from above the pair of legs were definitely not innocent.

For a moment, Kagome stood there, shocked. She couldn't believe it. The incredible flood of emotion was starting to break the damn of numbness created by her earlier realizations. This was proof, right in the flesh, right in the moment. Tears started to trickle down her face, and she knew she had to leave before he heard her. As she turned on the balls of her feet and started to rush down the hallway she caught sight of a purple thong underneath the edge of the bed.

She rushed through the hall, past the kitchen and through the living room to the door. She thought only enough to grab her purse and her shoes before silently closing the door and sitting on the steps. Even then, the tears merely trickled down her cheeks. She let her head fall into her hands for a second before, sniffling, and opening her purse to pull out her cell phone. Flicking it open, she managed to text three letters through her blinding tears to a person who wouldn't hesitate to help her. As the "sending message" screen faded, the three letters showed up once again before her eyes.

**S**ave

**O**ur

**S**ouls

As she closed her phone and waited for help to arrive, all she could think was that she knew she didn't own a purple thong.

AN: Alright, that wasn't as upbeat as some of my previous chapters. I'm sorry, I didn't actually expect it to get that dreary myself, but as you know, the story writes itself after a certain point. Review, and let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Fifteen

AN: I was looking back at my last chapter, and I realized that it was REALLY angsty compared to all my previous ones. So I probably should have put a warning on it, something like Warning: Major angst in this chapter. Not really sure what good that would do, but hey. So I'm kind of discouraged by the fact that I haven't been getting many reviews lately, and I feel so bad to ask for them, but you don't even have to review! I appreciate writing prompts and questions concerning the story and stuff you'd like to see or read. So please, take pity on my poor angst-outpouring soul and write to me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or the wishing star poem, which is from Disney.

Kagome let the tears fall freely from her hot and swelling eyes. 'How could I have been so stupid,' she thought. 'All this time…how could I not know?!!! He was my husband, for gods' sakes!" Normally Kagome would have been able to easily justify to herself why she had been so lost in the proverbial fog, but at this point she was just too broken up to care. Her phone vibrated and she squinted through the drops streaming from her eyes to see it light up with three words: New Text Message. She flicked her phone open to see the message: On my way.

She didn't bother to ask how her friend knew where she was. It was an unspoken law of nature that she just always knew where Kagome was. Kagome sniffed. She pulled another Kleenex out of her purse and blew her nose. She inwardly supposed that she was just lucky that Inuyasha and the girl hadn't tried to leave and found her sobbing on the porch. That was the last thing she needed; to have her soon-to-be ex-husband find her sitting on their steps like she'd been kicked out, the loser in the battle for her "man", and for her happy life.

Suddenly a small blue bug came around the corner quickly and slowed to pass the house in a stalkerish fashion. Despite her woes, Kagome couldn't help but smile a little and roll her eyes. Sango had always had a flair for the dramatic, which showed as she slooooowed to a complete stop in front of Kagome's driveway and rolled down the window to mouth the words, "Go, go, go!" and gesture hurriedly with her arm for Kagome to move quickly to the vehicle. Kagome got up slowly and a little unsteadily, and pulled her purse over her shoulder before making her way down the driveway to the other side of the car and slipping in the passenger side.

Sango glanced at her from the corner of her eye and said, "Seatbelts?" as Kagome settled herself in her seat, and placed her purse by her feet. Kagome rolled her eyes easily, still dabbing at her nose with the Kleenex. "Yes, Miss Frizzle. Is this going to be a normal fieldtrip, or do I need to cling to the suicide bars too?" Sango had a smile twitching at the edges of her lips as she replied with an almost straight face, "With the Frizz? No way!", to which Kagome couldn't help it, and let the bubbling laughter escape her throat in soft waves. It sounded almost hysterical as it left her throat, and when she settled back in the seat, she heaved a sigh like the world was once again upon her shoulders.

Sango wisely didn't say anything else, and drove quietly back to the small apartment she lived in with her brother. Kagome merely stared blankly out the window the entire time, trying to figure out when the whole façade had started. Had it started when he got the promotion? Or had it started even earlier than that, when they'd stopped having so much sex and had become a comforting, "let's talk about things" couple? She sighed once again, letting the air leave her chest slowly.

As they made it back to Sango's apartment, Kagome started biting her lip anxiously. She knew she was going to have to explain everything, but there was so much, and it wasn't exactly simple. Sango was being surprisingly patient as well, so she obviously knew that something was wrong. She hadn't said a word the whole trip (after the magic school bus comments) (AN: I love the Magic Schoolbus!!!) and she didn't even say anything as they entered the apartment, just took Kagome's coat and asked if she needed to lay down. Kagome thought about everything that had happened that day. She'd gone to her husband's office hoping for a confrontation, and got sexually assaulted by his brother. She'd gotten kidnapped willingly by an employee, only to get dissed by said employee, and came home hoping to get some relief from the crazy day only to find that her problems had, quite literally, followed her home.

"Yes," said Kagome quietly, looking at Sango. "A rest would be good."

* * *

Later, after managing to get a few hours of sleep, Kagome rolled out of bed and trudged into the bathroom. Instead of using the toilet, like she'd intended, she looked out the window. It was only about seven, so it wasn't extremely late, but it was dark outside, which made it seem later. She laid her arms on the windowsill and wondered when life had become so complicated. When she'd been little, it had all been so simple. She remembered when her Mom had first taught her the trick about wishing on a star.

"_Mommy, Mommy," said Kagome excitedly. "Look at all the pretty stars!" She went silent in wonder at all the sparkles of light, and her tiny mouth stretched in a small "oh". They were standing underneath the giant tree that was located on the shrine, and her Mom had brought a special blanket, just so they could see all the stars tonight. _

_Kagome's mother smiled at her. She'd intended to show her all the constellations tonight, like her father had done with her when she was little, but she'd decided to leave it, since Kagome was so content to just stargaze. Her smile softened even more as Kagome raised a small, pudgy finger and proceeded to trace pictures in the stars. _

"_You want to hear something special I learned when I was little?" Kagome's mother asked her, pulling her into her lap, where Kagome snuggled back while still staring at the stars. The small finger that had been tracing pictures had made its way to her mouth, and she bit it thoughtfully. Her eyes widened at this statement and she nodded vigorously under her mother's chin. Kagome's mother chuckled slightly. _

"_Well, there's a special way you can wish on the stars," she continued, watching Kagome's face as her eyes sparkled with this new knowledge. She turned slightly to face her mother with an awed face. _

"_Show me, show me!" Kagome said excitedly, in that way little children do when they're too excited to be polite. Kagome's mother giggled slightly, settling Kagome back in her lap firmly. _

"_First, you have to choose a star," Kagome's mother said. She watched as Kagome's eyes strayed across the sky before landing on a pinprick of light in the distant sky._

"_Did you choose one?" Kagome's mother asked. Kagome nodded her head quickly, twice so that her mother wouldn't miss it. Kagome's mother bit her lip to keep her voice from betraying her laughter._

"_Alright, now close your eyes," Kagome's mother said, and Kagome's small eyelids fluttered shut, set on picturing the star in her head. "Ready?" Kagome's mother asked. "Yep!" said Kagome eagerly._

"_Now here's what you say," Kagome's mother said. She closed her own eyes as Kagome listened intently, and pulled her daughter closer to her._

"_Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." She peeked one eye open to see Kagome's small lips mouth the words after her, then closed it again with a satisfied smile. "And then, you wish." Kagome opened her eyes curiously. _

"_That's it?" she said. Her mother smiled lovingly._

"_Yup." They sat together in silence, and Kagome's mother waited for Kagome to wish on her star. They stayed and watched the stars for a little while longer before Kagome's mother said it was late and they should head back. She gathered the blankets and everything up and watched as little Kagome yawned, covering her mouth with a tiny hand. _

"_Guess what I wished for, Mommy?" Kagome said, walking hand in hand with her mother back to the house. Her mother looked down at her affectionately. _

"_What did you wish for?" her mother asked indulgently, smiling. She slowed down a little so Kagome could keep up. _

"_I wished for chocolate cake!" said Kagome proudly, and her mother laughed slightly. _

"_What's so funny," Kagome said, pouting slightly. She tugged on her mother's hand so she'd look at each her. "Chocolate makes me happy."_

"_Nothing," her mother attempted to pacify her. They entered the house through the back door and Kagome's mother placed the blanket on the counter and sat Kagome next to it. Kagome scowled slightly then turned to look at her. _

"_What did you wish for, Mommy?" Kagome asked, big eyes waiting patiently for her mother's answer. Her mother looked at her daughter as she paused in putting away the snacks from earlier, and said, "I didn't wish for anything."_

"_But why not?" protested Kagome. Her mother turned back to the cupboard._

"_Because it's not right to ask the stars for too much." She moved over and took Kagome's small hand, tracing circles. "So if I don't ask for something, that means that your wish will have a better chance of coming true." She looked at Kagome sweetly. "The stars can't do everything for us." _

"_But why not," asked Kagome, frustrated. She pulled her hand away from her mother and crossed her arms._

"_Because they get tired, just like us." Her mother spotted Kagome's yawn as she attempted to hide it behind her hand. "And just like you. Time for bed." Kagome just yawned again as her mother picked her up and carried her to bed._

Kagome smiled as she remembered how fascinated she used to be by the stars. She knew now that they were just pretty stories her mother had told her, but even so, she couldn't help believing in them. (After all, a couple days after she made that wish, chocolate cake had appeared for dessert. Magic!) And as she chose a star and closed her eyes, she couldn't help but think how nice it would be if the stars really could grant her wishes.

* * *

When she entered the living room, the first thing she noticed was that Sango and her younger brother, Kohaku were sitting next to each other on the couch and looked up as she entered. She could tell they hadn't been talking about her because there was no tension in the air, but the look Sango gave her asked for an explanation when she was ready. Kagome frowned. Was she ready for that? She'd confessed to Souten and Hiten and what had that gotten her? On the other hand, Sango was her best friend, her maid of honour (or horror, as it was alternately called), her metaphorical box of secrets. She deserved to know the truth. So Kagome rummaged in the freezer for a second before pulling out a carton of chocolate caramel ice cream and grabbing a spoon to prepare for the coming conversation.

Sango raised her eyebrows as Kagome approached with the carton of ice cream, and Kohaku moved over to an armchair to allow Kagome to sit next to Sango. Sango looked Kagome deeply in the eyes as Kagome curled into the couch beside her.

"That bad, is it?" Sango said, as she stuck a single finger in the ice cream and pulled it out, sucking on it.

"Hey!" interjected Kohaku. "How come you always give me trouble when I do that, but you just did it yourself?" He pouted and crossed his arms.

"I am merely preparing myself for what is to come," said Sango gravely, with a hint of humour in her eyes that only Kagome could catch, although Kohaku's answering snort was clearly audible. A small sliver of mirth danced in Kagome's own eyes.

"Kagome," said Sango seriously. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like." She placed a hand on Kagome's arm comfortingly. Kagome nodded, licking her spoon and shoving more ice cream in her mouth. She glanced over at Kohaku, who nodded reassuringly and grinned at her, and relaxed. This was as close to home as it got without actually going there. This was safe.

"So…?" Sango prompted, letting her curiosity seep into her deep brown eyes. Kagome made a face.

"It's a long story," Kagome warned, letting her eyes rove around the room without actually focusing on anything. Kohaku continued to grin.

"That's okay," he said. "There's more ice cream in the other freezer." Kagome started slightly at this and looked at Sango, who blushed sheepishly.

"What?!" she said. "It was on sale!" She lowered her eyes, before returning to playfully glare at Kagome.

"Ok, here it goes," sighed Kagome.

* * *

Sango's mouth alternated between gaping like a fish and making angry growling noises, while Kohaku simply didn't know what to make of the situation, it seemed. He had adopted a perplexed face, as if struggling with the complex math problem that was Kagome's life.

"That…that…hooligan!" shouted Sango, standing up and screeching at the ceiling while alternately shaking her fist. At this, Kagome choked on her ice cream. Kohaku looked up as well, amused.

"Hooligan?" Kagome asked, raising her eyebrows and laughing slightly. Sango was fuming and now glared at Kagome.

"Yes, hooligan!" she ranted. "He's a hooligan, and a cad, and all those other things!" She paced furiously back and forth as Kagome and Kohaku watched. While Sango was occupied, Kohaku snuck over and looked pleadingly at Kagome, then at the ice cream.

"Knock yourself out," Kagome said, shrugging and handing him the ice cream.

"Thanks!" said Kohaku, settling beside her and digging into the ice cream enthusiastically. They both turned to watch the free entertainment that was their friend and sister. Kagome turned curiously to Kohaku.

"So what's with the pg-13 words?" she asked. He shrugged, mouth full of ice cream, then swallowed laboriously. Kagome waited patiently.

"We have a swear jar," he informed her, pointing towards the kitchen, where an empty pickle jar sat, half full of change. Kagome whistled. She gestured towards the jar.

"So what are you going to buy with that?" she asked. Kohaku smiled dreamily.

"A car. A really nice one. And Sango wants a trip to a spa." At this Kagome looked at him, confused.

"There's not enough money in that one jar, is there?" she asked.

"There's two," he informed Kagome. "One for me, and one for Sango." He pointed to another that was three-quarters full. "That one's mine." Kagome looked at Kohaku, slightly shocked. He smiled sheepishly.

"I invited my friends over and we were playing video games…well, let's just say I'm lucky she didn't wash my mouth out with soap." Kagome laughed, and Kohaku's eyes twinkled.

"I know!" Sango's rant broke through their companionable conversation. "I'll go over to your house, and I'll put ice down his pants!" She actually went over to the door and started to get her keys with vindictive fury. Kohaku and Kagome looked at each other, and Kohaku strode over to her.

"Whoa, sis. I'm pretty sure that's illegal," Kohaku said, pulling on her arm. "Sexual assault, you know. Besides, you're classier than that." She turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, and he laughed nervously.

"Well, you are," Kagome reasoned. They both turned to look at her, Kohaku relieved, and Sango calculating.

"Fine!" scowled Sango, abandoning her purse and flopping down on the couch. "But vengeance will find him! Mark my words!" She shook her fist for emphasis. Kagome just laughed as Kohaku once again settled down beside her. Sango finally noticed Kohaku pigging out on the ice cream, as he once again picked up the spoon.

"What do you think you're doing?" she shrieked. He looked up guiltily.

"Ummmm, eating?" he said, quickly shovelling the ice cream in his mouth. He then grabbed the ice cream carton and ran down the hall towards his room. Sango chased after him.

"That's my favourite ice cream, you little twerp!" she said, gaining on him easily. Kagome continued to watch them with fond eyes. She got up and sauntered down the hallway towards the sounds of muffled voices. She found Sango whacking Kohaku with a pillow while he attempted to defend himself and hold onto the ice cream. The sight proved too much for her, with Kohaku up on the bed in the corner, hugging the ice cream, and Sango flinging the pillow wildly around, and her eyes started to water. Then suddenly she burst out laughing, sliding down the wall and clutching her stomach with her arms. This wasn't the bitter laughter from before, she realized, as Sango paused to grin wolfishly at her, and Kohaku smiled tentatively, before they continued where they left off before. It was freeing laughter, the kind that feels like bubbles of happiness.

And that was what was missing at Souten's apartment, thought Kagome, wiping tears from her eyes. As Sango paused in her pillow swinging, and Kohaku darted under her arm to seek refuge with Kagome, she smiled at him and tucked him under her arm in a brotherly hug. Family was what had been missing.

AN: And that's all she wrote folks!!!! I'm actually really happy with this chapter. It's nice and light compared to the last one. No more super angst attack! I just thought I'd mention down here that I recently wrote two one shot things for Naruto. Both are supposed to be Saku-centric, so if that's something you like check them out and let me know what you think please!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

AN: No one reviewed. I am not happy. : ( Was it that bad? Anyway, I'm just getting off writer's block with this story, so if it sucks, I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome sat cross-legged on the couch, a bowl of Cheerios perched in her lap. One hand was holding a spoon thoughtfully between her lips, while she directed her attention to the object directly on the table in front of her. Despite their name, her Cheerios were doing little to cheer her up, although that was definitely not an easy task, especially these days. Even her cute bunny slippers that were currently facing her with adorable expressions on their whiskered faces could do little. No, Kagome was trapped in a "doom and gloom" mentality. And why? Well, it had a little to do with the name currently flickering on the caller id of Sango's phone.

In the past few days, Kagome had discovered things she never knew about phones. The main one being that if you didn't pick them up, you could pretend you never even heard them. This of course didn't work if someone else was present, but as Sango worked at the gym daily, and Kohaku was at school, no one was the wiser. Except Kagome.

She sat on the couch and watched the phone, seemingly oblivious to the loud ringing echoing through the apartment.

_Taisho home_

The letters of the words almost made her wince. While her name might still be Taisho, that certainly wasn't her home. It was her prison, a place that caged her in bars of obliviousness, and she refused to return.

Kagome bit her lip. This was the third time in the week she'd been staying here that he'd called. He obviously had no clue where she was, as she hadn't told him anything when she'd left the house, and she hadn't left any notes or voicemails for him. She just **couldn't**. What if he asked her why she left? Then what would she tell him? But she had to tell him _something_!

She felt like she was in a war, only the opponent had launched an attack without even realizing it. A frown slid over her mouth. In that situation, was it right to retaliate, or to remain on the defence, and just let them get away with the attack?

Kagome finally reached for the phone as it stopped ringing. Well, her decision was made, she reasoned. But what to do with her husband?

She thought about it as she washed her dishes in the sink, and came to the conclusion that while Sango and Souten were both right about the fact that it was time she went on the offensive, she needed to make sure that was what she wanted to do. And that meant she had to go back to the beginning. Back to where she and Inuyasha had first been together…Kagome sighed again. Well, either way, she had to go visit her mother anyways.

* * *

"Kagome!" To say that her mother was shocked to see her was inaccurate. If anything, her mother looked slightly expectant. She had obviously heard that Kagome was missing, and Kagome suspected Sango had called her to let her know an idea of what was wrong. But her suspicions were swept out of her mind as her mother hugged her warmly and ushered her quickly inside.

"Here, have some tea," Kagome's mother said. She settled Kagome with a cup first, adding the milk and sugar that she knew her daughter liked, then made hers up and set both on the table.

Kagome took a sip of hers and sighed, relaxing. As hard as it had been to come, she knew it was the right thing as soon as she'd seen her mother's face. She could hardly expect the woman who'd raised her to turn her away. She took another sip of her tea and luxuriated in its warmth, closing her eyes.

She peeked through her lashes to see her mother waiting patiently. She obviously knew something was wrong, but she wouldn't force her to talk about it. Kagome sighed.

"Inuyasha and I…are going through a rough patch," Kagome said, gritting her teeth in an attempt to keep the words she _really _wanted to say bottled up. She could just picture in the future when her mom actually found out what was happening. 'Well, mom, you know how I said we were going through a rough patch? I lied. It was actually an asteroid belt.' Oh yeah, that would make her mother feel better. Kagome smiled inwardly at the thought.

Her mother regarded her carefully, before closing her own eyes and sipping at her own tea.

"What kind of a rough patch?" her mother asked, concern showing as she opened her eyes again. Kagome frowned, slightly. How to phrase that? The immediate phrase that popped up ("The kind of rough patch that ends in an awkward divorce") wasn't something she really wanted to get into. It was her mother after all; it had been hard enough to tell her when she got married in the first place.

"We've just got to work out some things," Kagome said, letting her finger trace around the edge of her teacup. Her eyes followed the slow circle around the rim. Her mother watched, unconvinced.

"Honey, if something's wrong, you can tell me," her mother said, reaching over to touch Kagome's hand. Kagome winced, but forced herself not to pull away as her mother placed her hand over hers in a gesture of comfort.

For a brief moment, Kagome looked at her mother and was ready to tell her everything. But telling her mother would mean admitting it to herself. Really admitting it, not looking at the facts, and then quickly looking away, as she had when she'd told Sango and Kohaku. And she couldn't do that. Not yet, anyways.

Kagome sighed again. It was pointless to be here. Why had she come again? 'Oh, yeah,' thought Kagome. 'I was trying to find a solution to the Inuyasha problem.' She frowned inwardly, her mouth pinching at the edges. _The Inuyasha problem. _When had she started calling it that? She paused to think of a better name, and settled on 'The Ominous, Looming Divorce.' That brought a smile teasing about her lips.

As Kagome looked at her mother, she suddenly became furious. Never before had she been ashamed of telling something to her mother. When she'd done well on a test, she'd always been excited. When she'd gotten her first boyfriend, and introduced him, she'd been shy. When she'd told her of the engagement, she'd been nervous. But **never **had her mother given her reason to doubt her. What had her husband done to her?!

She was spending too much time worrying about the past, when she needed to focus on the future. The future that she could have, now that she didn't have to worry about being tangled in her husband's web of deceit. As her mind tumbled with thoughts about the freedom she could soon taste, she decided her mother needed to know the truth if she was going to help her. And with the plan Kagome had in mind, she was going to need all the help she could get.

* * *

Kagome sighed in relief. Her mother had been so much more understanding and accepting than she'd thought she would be. Apparently, what she didn't know was that her mother had been a hardcore feminist in college, and that she really knew how to "rally the troops". Kagome continued to chuckle at the thought of her mother as a lieutenant or commander. But at least that had bought her some time. Her mother had said that she would tell Inuyasha that she was staying at the shrine in order to have constant care, as she hadn't been feeling well. She'd even gone so far as to tell Inuyasha it would be pointless to stop by, as Kagome was very sick, and required lots of rest and sleep, and would most likely not be aware of anything for several ways. And she'd done all that with a nice polite voice on. The funniest part was that she'd done it while Kagome was making faces at the phone the whole time.

Her smile wilted slightly as she remembered how easily Inuyasha had been dissuaded from coming to her "aid". Not a word of comfort had left his lips, other than the mechanical, "Well, I hope she feels better." Kagome had sat there on the chair watching silently as her mother conducted the call on speaker phone, and snorted. Her mother had barely covered it up as the cat. Letting her husband's words drift in her mind, she decided it didn't matter. If he didn't care about her, why was she caring about him anyway? She'd tried to do the good thing, she'd tried to be the nice person, and what had it gotten her? A polite, "I hope she feels better." Kagome snorted once more, and attitude lined every inch of her persona as she continued down the street. As forgiving as Kagome was, that was the last straw.

'Well, I guess that settles it,' thought Kagome, as she reached Sango's apartment suite and settled herself carefully on the couch, eyes blazing with a cold, vindictive fury. A sadistic smirk settled over her mouth. The echo of her spoken words settled over the apartment with an air of expectancy.

"We're officially at war." Her eyes settled on her purse, where she'd dumped it on her first evening at Sango's house, and her smirk widened. 'And I know just where to find my first general,' thought Kagome wickedly.

AN: And there she blows. That's all for know, folks.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

AN: Wow, I can't believe that I made it to ten chapters already. I apologize for my last chapter, I know it wasn't really great, but things are heating up now. Just to clear something up, the reason Kagome didn't want to get revenge before was partly because she was in shock, and partly because she still loved her husband, but between seeing her husband having sex with another girl, and realizing how much her husband had taken away her independence and freedom, she realizes its time to bring the fire. So let's rock!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Sango stared at Kagome. Her once tame, mild-mannered friend was now perched on the edge of the sofa, calm face broken only by a wicked glint in her sapphire eyes. Despite her friend's once pacifistic ways, she had spent the last half hour detailing a plan that would bring about the complete demise of her husband, in a perfectly sophisticated way, without involving the tabloids at all. And now, she was sitting there, waiting for a response.

"Well it's about damn time," Sango finally concluded. "After all the crap that bastard put you through." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and resting her head on her hands. "I mean, he forgot your _anniversary_ for Christ's sakes. If that isn't an indication that he should be taking a backseat, then nothing is."

"Well he did remember about three months after," Kagome shrugged. She was still working out the details of the plan in her mind. It was going to be hard to do. But the result would be so satisfying. She almost licked her lips at the thought, before grinning wickedly.

"So do you think we can pull it off?" asked Sango curiously. She observed her friend, who was still clearly skirting the edges of la la land. She was thrilled that her friend was coming back to her. She hadn't been fond of the changes Kagome had gone through when she'd transformed from the freer, exciting college student that she'd been before into the prim, proper wife that Inuyasha demanded she be. To have her real friend back…it was going to be nice. Sango smiled menacingly. And the revenge on Inuyasha was only the icing on the cake.

"I think so," Kagome said slowly, entering the real world again. "But we're going to need help." She stood up and straightened out her skirt, before walking to her purse and starting to dig through it. Sango stood as well, and walked over to Kagome.

"What are you looking for?" asked Sango, squinting into the bag that Kagome was looking through. Kagome remained silent, and continued to search for a couple minutes, before finally giving up, and dumping the contents on the floor. She then rifled through that, before emerging with a small piece of paper in her hand and a triumphant smile. Ignoring Sango's inquisitive looks, she unfolded the paper, and her smile only grew. She walked over to Sango's phone and picked it up, dialling it carefully and precisely, and clearly waited while it rang. She played with the cord absently, while Sango sighed, and walked over to plop down on the couch beside her. Sango could hear the phone ring twice, as Kagome waited, until on the third time a low male voice picked up.

"Hello, Hiten?" asked Kagome. She smiled as the voice on the other end of the phone replied. "It's Kagome, silly." The voice said something else, and Kagome giggled this time, twining the cord around her fingers. Sango caught her eyes and raised an eyebrow. Kagome was using her "flirty" voice. "Of course I do, I got rid of my loser husband." There was a pause, and then Kagome said, "Well, not really. That's why I need some help. Is Souten there?" Another pause. Then Kagome's face changed from flirty to planning. A wicked grin sprawled across her face. "Really? I didn't know she worked there." The grin dimmed slightly as she listened to "Hiten's" voice over the phone. She sighed, and her voice changed from "flirty" to serious. "Well, she didn't need to. She was right." Kagome paused for a second, and Sango heard silence from the other end of the phone. "Listen, do you think I could go in and see her tonight?" There was some noise as the other end replied. Kagome smiled. "You don't have to do that." The noise sounded again. "Well, if you insist. I'll see you later. Bye." Kagome hung up the phone and turned to Sango.

"So, you want to go out tonight?" she said, looking at her friend with mischievous eyes. Sango crossed her arms over her chest.

"Can I get an explanation? 'Cause right now the only thing I've been able to come up with is that your husband wasn't the only one cheating." Kagome frowned at this slightly, before shrugging it off. Sango continued to observe her. "Not that I would blame you, but still…" Kagome sighed, leaning back on the couch.

"Don't be silly, Sango," Kagome said, playfully leaning over to shove her friend. "I would never cheat. Well," she corrected herself, "Not unless he'd already made it clear that we were already practically divorced, like Inuyasha did. Remind me why I'm not cheating again?" At this Sango's eyes started to glimmer with a little humour.

"I can't really remember myself." At this, both girls giggled, and Kagome proceeded to explain to her friend the plan for the night.

* * *

Kagome wasn't nearly as ready as she'd been pretending for Sango. She was nervous, slightly skittish, and definitely uncomfortable. But she was also determined. And as her husband was about to learn, a determined Kagome is a dangerous Kagome. She smiled slightly as she stepped through the club doors onto the dance floor. Sango had declined the invitation, having to work tomorrow, but she'd told Kagome to call her if she needed any help. Kagome had assured her she wouldn't need any help. She was going to regain that "female" strength if it killed her. Which, at the rate it was going, very well might. Kagome smiled without humour.

"Hey, are you alright?" Hiten asked her. His ruby eyes, which when they first met, had been filled with only lust, were now filled with concern as well. When he'd offered to give her a ride, Kagome had almost declined, but now she was glad she hadn't. He'd acted like the perfect gentleman the whole time, even complimenting her on her clothes, and now he was acting like an emotional support even though he didn't have to. Kagome was suitably impressed. She smiled at him gratefully, and he shot her back a cocky grin.

"I'm fine," Kagome told him blushing slightly, and easily took control of the situation before she could lose herself in someone she was only just getting to know. "Where do we need to go?" She looked away in order not to lose herself in this unknown and appealing man-candy.

"Are you sure you don't want to dance first?" a husky voice suddenly asked behind her, and Kagome jumped slightly. She turned around to glare at Hiten playfully. He had used his demonic speed to get right behind her so easily. She looked at him, as he smirked at her sexily, and shivered slightly. Damn him and her overly active female hormones.

"Fine," Kagome relented stiffly, and almost took a step back as he manipulated her so that they were standing directly against each other, her back pressed into his chest, and his hands around her hips, while her hands hovered for a second, before she reached up behind her and slid her hands around his neck. (AN: Sounds really awkward, but it actually works). She forced herself to relax as he smoothed them into the beat of the music, but apparently she wasn't doing a good enough job, because he leaned in closer to her ear during the song to talk to her.

"Relax, will you?" Hiten said, hot breath fanning over her ear. "I'm not going to bite. Much." She could just picture him with that sexy smirk, laughing at her. Well, she would show him! Just because it had been a while since she'd gone clubbing didn't mean she didn't know how to work it! She waited until the next song came on, then deliberately started grinding into him slightly when they moved together, smoothing their movements so that it seemed unintentional. After a couple minutes his grip on her waist tightened, and he leaned over to talk to her again.

"Do you know what you're doing to me?" he growled, as she slid her hips against him. Kagome batted her eyelashes at him innocently. He merely slid his lustful blood-red orbs over her in a predatory manner, smirking even more as he flipped her so that they were suddenly dancing face to face. Kagome gasped slightly, and thanked God that she'd worn a pair of dark jeans and not the skirt that she'd thought about wearing, or else she would have been giving everyone a free peep show. She steeled herself against the music, realizing they'd been dancing for a lot longer than she'd thought, and pushed against Hiten's shirt to let him know they were done. He sighed, then nodded, bright eyes scanning her, before grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd towards a door near the back of the club. Kagome was dizzy and slightly unfocused, but as she was regaining control of her senses she suddenly came to a realization. Kagome's eyes shot open when the young bartender winked at her and mouthed the words, "Have fun!", and Kagome realized that it looked like she and Hiten were going to have some hot, steamy sex. She immediately pulled her hand out of Hiten's once they had gone through the door and into a quieter hallway that was completely empty.

He turned back to look at her curiously, and she merely blushed even redder than before. Hiten suddenly realized what she was thinking and cocked an eyebrow at her, while grinning.

"My sister's break room is back here," he explained, gesturing down the hallway. "But if you want to do something else…" He looked at her expectantly, still wearing his wicked grin.

"We should get moving," said Kagome quickly, indicating for him to keep walking. His grin only grew at this, although he continued down the hallway.

* * *

They found Souten sitting with a couple other teenagers around a table, playing cards. The room was unusually nice, although Kagome wasn't really surprised, because the club itself was pretty swanky. (AN: The world is a twisted place. My word-checker recognized "swanky" but not "Hiten's", even though I'd already added Hiten. O.O ) She'd just thrown her cards down in triumph when they reached the table, a grin splayed over her tired features.

"All five trump, guys," she grinned. "Read 'em and weep." The two guys and the girl that were playing with her groaned, and threw their cards down on the table too. Souten looked up when the finally reached the table, and her face was impossible to read, although there was no real hostility. She looked at her friends around the table.

"Mind giving us a sec, guys?" she asked her friends. The group of teens whined for a second, before finally surrendering and exiting the room. The last teen held up both of his hands in a "ten minutes" gesture before he left, and Souten nodded at him.

Hiten sat in one of the vacated chairs, sticking his feet up on the table, and indicating for Kagome to sit down. Souten sighed at his action, a smile tugging at her lips, and gestured for Kagome to sit as well. She measured Kagome with her eyes, saying nothing, before finally starting the conversation herself, once Kagome was fully settled in the chair.

"I didn't expect to see you here, after everything that's happened," Souten stated, cracking her ever constant gum, her eyes unreadable. Kagome sighed, ran a hand through her dishevelled hair, and closed her eyes, before peeking one open again to see Souten raising an amused eyebrow at her.

"Well, I realized that you were right," Kagome said, sitting up more. "My husband is a no-good scumbag that deserves everything I'm going to give him." At these words, Souten's poker face cracked and she allowed herself a grin.

"So what changed your mind?" she said, sitting back in her chair and relaxing. Kagome sighed again, before glancing at her new friend and Hiten, who was watching her from under barely open lids, pretending to sleep. She stuck out her tongue at him, and Souten looked taken aback.

"A couple friends. My best friend from college told me he was a scumbag. My mom too." Kagome relaxed slightly in her chair, and crossed her legs, once again glad that she hadn't worn a skirt.

"Your mom," Souten said, eyebrow raised in that amused expression. Kagome groaned slightly at the amusement at her expense. She narrowed her eyes playfully at Souten.

"Yes, my mother." Kagome frowned. "So I finally decided it was time to strike back. But I need help." At this Souten's face turned thoughtful.

"So you came looking for me?" asked Souten, frowning slightly. She eyed Kagome carefully. "I would have thought I'd scared you away." Kagome chuckled slightly.

"It would take more than that to down me for the count." Her eyes slid over the tabletop, remembering exactly how her husband had managed to "down her for the count". She looked up in time to see Souten's familiar wolfish grin.

"Well, I'm glad. It's hard to get revenge if you're a limp noodle," Souten said, fangs flashing slightly as she smirked wickedly at Kagome. She threaded her fingers together.

"So is there a plan?" she asked Kagome curiously.

"There is a plan," Kagome said, grinning coldly as well. Hiten finally opened his eyes and observed her completely, before smirking himself and closing his eyes again, nodding his approval. Souten waited for her to continue.

"And if I do say so myself, it's a kick-ass plan." Kagome said, very self-satisfied.

"Oh, really?" asked Souten, grin deepening. "Well, let's hear this kick-ass plan."

As Kagome explained the plan, both demons paid careful attention. At the end, Souten whistled.

"Never thought you had it in ya," Souten said, leaning back and closing her eyes with a satisfied grin. Kagome smiled, and as Souten's eyes opened, they shared a smile of comradeship.

"Well," said Souten, still grinning wickedly. "Let's go knock that bastard off his pedestal."

AN: And that's it!!! I'm very proud of myself that I updated. ^^ Speaking of updating, I recently tried something new, a Yuyu hakusho/Inuyasha crossover, so if you like that, check it out, k? It's called "Challenge".


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome sat at the bar stool in Souten's kitchen, swinging her legs absently. Her mind continued to go over the details of the Plan while she waited for Souten to appear. They had agreed to meet at Souten's apartment after work to go over the plan. There were still some ruffles in the fabric that needed to be ironed out.

Kagome had also gone back to her husband's workplace after realizing there were parts of her plan that would require her to have her own car. She felt bad asking Sango to drive her everywhere, and she was recently discovering how empowering it was to be able to control every part of her life.

She nibbled on her lower lip slightly. There was one part of the plan that she'd been pondering all day, and she hadn't been able to figure out a solution.

Souten appeared, entering from the hallway, and plunking herself down on the stool beside Kagome. She noticed Kagome's utterly focused look.

"What's the problem?" asked Souten, quirking an eyebrow at Kagome, who continued to stare straight ahead. Souten waved her hand in front of Kagome's face.

"Hello, anybody home?"

Kagome blinked, before turning to face Souten with a sheepish expression. She rubbed the back of her head embarrassedly.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," Kagome said. Souten continued to look mildly amused.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" inquired Souten. Kagome frowned, recalling what the problem was. She made a face.

"Well, the first part of the plan was to unnerve him, right?" said Kagome. Souten nodded, leaning back slightly against the counter. Kagome bit her lip as her mind continued to race.

"I've been going over it in my head, and I can't really think of anything that would worry him." Kagome sighed in an aggravated fashion. "I mean, with someone normal I would just disappear, because that would make him nervous. But since he already thinks I'm sick, and has called a total of like two times…" Souten nodded again, understanding easily.

"You think he doesn't really care enough for that to make him nervous," Souten stated. Kagome nodded, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, and continuing to gnaw on her lower lip.

A key clinked in the lock of the front door, and Hiten entered easily, shutting the door behind him with his foot as he shrugged off his leather jacket. He was whistling slightly, and winked at Kagome as he caught her eye, smirking. Kagome blushed easily, before sticking her tongue out at him.

Hiten sauntered over to the kitchen, and pulled the lid off of a plain ceramic jar, before removing it to reveal three cookies. Kagome cocked her head to one side, a smile sliding across her lips despite her attempt to restrain it.

"You have a cookie jar?" she asked Hiten, as Souten continued to stare into space, contemplating the Plan. Hiten grinned openly this time.

"Of course," he said, coming to lean on the breakfast bar across from Kagome and sticking a cookie in his mouth. Kagome watched as he gulped it down, then took the cookie he offered her. She couldn't help but be amused, in spite of herself. She surprised him with a bright smile as she munched on her cookie happily. Kagome finished it and was going to thank him, when he reached a hand out to brush at her cheek. Her cheeks flamed, and her eyes widened.

"What-what are you doing?" Kagome stammered. Hiten pulled his hand back, and smirked at her, blood-red eyes becoming more intense.

"Crumbs," he said, continuing to smirk cockily at her discomfort. Kagome squirmed slightly in her seat, before settling on glaring at him playfully. Hiten waited until she was settled before asking her his questions.

"So," Hiten said. "Has your husband realized what he's missing yet?" Kagome frowned slightly, and he sighed, turning slightly to lean on the counter. Kagome smiled softly, bitterly, tracing circles on the counter.

"You know, if you were my girlfriend we wouldn't have to worry about this," Hiten said, grinning as she looked up, tomato-red, her husband completely forgotten. Kagome attempted to stammer out a response for a second while Hiten chuckled, and Kagome finally settled for growling at him. Hiten looked surprised for a second before erupting in full-blown laughter.

Kagome pouted openly, having failed to intimidate Hiten.

"We don't have time to be doing this, you know," she said, scowling at Hiten, who finished chuckling and raised an eyebrow. "We don't!" She crossed her arms and turned away from the counter, also turning away from Hiten.

Suddenly, Souten sat up.

"On the contrary," she said pensively, slowly. Kagome looked at her strangely. Hiten regarded his sister curiously. Souten turned to Kagome, and Kagome could almost see the gears turning in her head.

"You wanted a way to unnerve your husband, didn't you?" asked Souten, almost excited. Kagome nodded, sensing that this was headed somewhere. Souten suddenly did her wolf grin, and Kagome waited for her to explain.

"It's perfect," Souten said, continuing to grin. Kagome wondered if she knew how scary she actually seemed when she did that.

"There are other people in the room, sis," Hiten drawled, and Kagome turned slightly to see him waiting patiently as well.

"Inuyasha is a half-demon, right?" asked Souten, looking at Kagome. Kagome nodded. Her former lover's heritage was not news to her, it had been part of their marriage, and she had understood that.

"Have you ever seen his demon side come out?" asked Souten eagerly, and Kagome frowned.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, and Souten sighed slightly.

"His eyes could have changed colour, his voice could have been deeper…" Souten waited for a second for Kagome to think.

Kagome dove back into her memory, through years and months of repetitive actions. She opened her eyes to see Souten waiting, leg bouncing on the stool in anticipation. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I remember anything," Kagome said, biting her lip. Souten sighed, and turned back to the bar. Kagome suddenly caught something in her hindsight, and drew in a breath sharply. Souten sat up, and Hiten looked at her.

Kagome's eyes were unfocused, searching the past.

"There was…one time…" Her mind searched for the story that went with the picture. Colours and a background story began to form. Souten leaned towards her in anticipation.

"We went to a restaurant. The waiter…I remember thinking he was really nice."

Kagome's eyes began to wander the room subconsciously.

"He treated us really well, making sure we got the best of everything. At the end, when Inuyasha went to pay the check, he came over and told me that if I ever got tired of my domineering husband I should give him a call."

Kagome bit her lip, remembering the next part.

"He gave me his phone number, but he didn't realize that Inuyasha was behind him."

Her fists clenched slightly, then relaxed. Hiten leaned over and took Kagome's hand in his in a more friendly gesture than anything. Kagome focused on him, slightly surprised. Hiten nodded at her in support, and Kagome smiled softly. Souten frowned, impatient.

"So what happened?" Souten asked eagerly.

"His eyes were red," Kagome recalled, shivering slightly. "His pupils were almost green, and jagged magenta markings were starting to show on his face. He growled at the waiter and told him not to touch his property." Kagome frowned, squeezing Hiten's hand subconsciously.

"Like I was…a thing! A possession," Kagome ground out. "I thought he was going to throw the waiter into the wall. He did punch him, but it wasn't that bad." Kagome sighed, her eyes fluttering closed, almost as if the story itself was draining her energy.

Souten smiled happily. Hiten noticed, and inclined his head slightly, silently asking her to explain. Souten's smile turned slightly malevolent. Kagome's eyes opened.

"I don't see how that helps though," said Kagome.

"You want to unnerve your husband," Souten said matter-of-factly. "And what do all males find unnerving?" Kagome made a face.

"Waiters?" Kagome said, tossing something out. Hiten, realizing where his sister was going, started to chuckle. Kagome turned to him, and he looked back, crimson eyes lighting up with an intense fire.

"Losing," his smooth voice supplied. "Losing something that they are sure belongs to them." Hiten pulled Kagome's hand up to his mouth and turned it over, placing a light kiss on her palm.

Kagome's eyes widened as she began to understand. Her forehead crinkled slightly as she made a face.

"You want me to make him jealous?" stated Kagome stupidly. Souten nodded.

"It is the easiest trick in the book," she said. She crossed her arms, and held her hands up slightly in a "why not" pose. " And the perfect part is, he's going to be paranoid, because he's got a guilty conscience from cheating himself."

Kagome pulled her hand down slightly, not realizing that she wasn't letting go of Hiten.

"But who will we use?" Kagome asked. Hiten snorted, and both females turned to look at him. Kagome looked slightly alarmed, realizing what this would entail, and Souten looked pensive.

"It could work," stated Souten slowly. "But I think we need to go further than that." Kagome had now pulled her hand back, as Hiten crossed his arms and observed Kagome.

"Further?" squeaked Kagome. Souten smirked.

"Further," Souten affirmed. Kagome was now nervously chomping on her bottom lip.

"But why?" she asked. Hiten's voice answered her, and she looked up into unreadable blood-red orbs.

"More males will make him even more crazy," he explained. Kagome paused, taking this in. Hiten continued easily.

"It will be even worse, because the scents will be ones he doesn't recognize, and he can't openly challenge the males because the scent will be on you and your things." Souten nodded, and Kagome frowned, taking all this in.

Hiten sighed, scowling playfully. His eyes slid over Kagome sensuously, and she shivered slightly. At her obvious reaction, Hiten smirked.

"As much as I'm loathe to share, it's a good plan," Hiten concluded. Souten snorted.

"Of course it is," she said confidently.

"But where will we get the other guys?" asked Kagome. "More importantly, guys who will be okay with simply being 'used'?"

"But we already have one," said Souten, smirking almost like her brother. Kagome almost groaned at the vulture-like look Souten flashed her. It smelled like doom.

"Is he invisible?" asked Kagome sarcastically, and Souten waved away her sarcasm. Her grin grew.

"Sesshomaru." At this, Kagome bulked.

"No way," she said, waving her hands in front of her. "N to the O, to the no."

Souten looked at her with a weighing expression.

"But why not?" she said slightly, calmly. Kagome threw her arms around in frustration.

"Because the last time I was with him he almost got down and dirty with me!" Kagome almost shouted, still flailing her arms. Souten looked on, nonplussed.

"So he clearly already likes you," she said plainly. "That just makes it easier." She leaned forward, eyes shining with determination.

"Listen, Inuyasha is well known in the demon community for hating his brother. There are bets on how long it will last before they kill each other."

"It's true," Hiten said, shrugging. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"And?" she said, crossing her arms.

"The humiliation of losing something he 'owns' to his brother will be huge," Souten said, leaning back as Kagome appeared to consider it, scrunching her face up in distaste.

"Fine," she finally said. She sat back down, surrendering slightly. "Is that all?"

"We'll need one more," said Souten, and reached for her cell phone. "And I know just who to call." Kagome watched her curiously.

"So who is it?" Kagome asked, wanting to know who she would be running around with. Souten flashed her a confident smile.

"It's a surprise," she said, then dialled the cell phone, putting it to her ear as she exited the room through the hall into the bedrooms. Kagome sat back, pouting, only to jump as Hiten appeared in front of her, arms crossed. His garnet eyes watched her predatorily, and she stood up, answering his challenge. That cocky smirk was still in place, and Kagome couldn't help but let her eyes slide over his form, from his long black hair, pulled back into a braid, to his well built frame, to his deep, lustful eyes.

'Wait a minute,' thought Kagome backpedalling. 'Do not get distracted by his smexiness, Kagome. You have a Plan to put into motion."

Hiten smirked even more as he observed her reluctant perusal of his form. She was impressed enough, he could tell by her scent.

"You do realize," said Hiten, stepping closer, so that his breath ran over her lips. "We're going to be working very closely together if this plan comes together." Kagome squeaked as he got closer. She felt his hands slide around her waist and pull her closer, and she didn't resist as he let his hot mouth settle over hers.

Hiten almost groaned at how sweet she tasted against his mouth. He nipped at her bottom lip while pulled her lower half closer to him, almost grinding them together.

Kagome couldn't help but respond to his hot touches on her body. Other than Sesshomaru, it had been so long since she'd felt wanted, and in her mind, Sesshomaru didn't really count since he scared her half to death. Kagome's idea of a good time was not hide and go freak. Which is what she'd done when he'd come after her. Well, for the first part anyway. It wasn't her fault he was a hot kisser. Speaking of which…

She waited until they broke apart for air to pull him back in. She let her lips dance over his before settling and threaded her fingers in his soft hair. Hiten had just moved his hands down to her butt to pull her even closer when she pulled away. He looked up in a lustful daze, and Kagome pulled away, taking a few steps back. Hiten pouted playfully, grinning slightly at her in that rakish way that had drawn her in the first day that she'd seen him. He took a seat at the bar, and watched as Kagome gathered her coat and purse quickly, flustered. As her hand settled on the doorknob, his seductive voice called her name. She almost dropped her purse, but turned back to look at him, and find him staring at her, half seriously, and half lustful.

"I'm going to enjoy working with you," Hiten said, low drawl and satisfied smirk sending shivers down her spine.

Kagome shook her head to make her brain work again and just opened and closed her mouth for a second before walking out the door.

She ran a hand over her slightly swollen lips in the elevator down and couldn't help but blush. Hiten wasn't the only one who was going to enjoy this plan, if their encounter was anything to go by.

AN: I know, I actually updated. Feel free to review and just comment, or to guess who the person is. I'll let you know if you're right. Also, I'm sorry not much seems to be happening now. I wasn't completely sure where I wanted to go with this chapter. And for all of you who want to know what the plan is, I DO know, I'm just skirting around the details. That way, if I think of something better I can change it. Hope you enjoyed the chappie.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Kagome sat in the front seat opposite her mother, who had been nice enough to drive her home. It was important that Inuyasha didn't scent the deceit in her actions. By getting her mother to drive her home, Kagome had followed through with the idea that she had been sick at her mothers.

Her hands clenched slightly. She hadn't talked to her husband for over a week and a half. What would it be like now, to see him, talk to him, and know who he really was? What he was really doing?

"Kagome," her mother's soft voice broke through her thoughts gently. "Are you sure about this?" Kagome looked up to see her mother looking at her with understanding but wary eyes.

Thoughts flitted through her head for a few minutes, and silence filled the car, before Kagome closed her eyes and nodded her head, fists still clenched tightly. It was so easy to be confident around Sango and Kohaku, but being strong around her mother was harder. She was so used to just relaxing around her, it took a while to remember that she was in charge of her own life now, and she needed to show everyone that.

Kagome smiled at her mother.

"I'm sure," she said, softly but in a determined manner. Kagome's mother nodded, and smiled as well.

"Do you need some help getting into the house?" she asked worriedly as Kagome climbed out, the perfect image of a mother concerned over her sick daughter.

"Mom," groaned Kagome, making a face. "I'm not a little kid anymore." She took her suitcase from the back seat (she'd borrowed some clothes from Sango to make it look more realistic), and set it easily on the paved driveway. She placed a hand on her hip and smiled genuinely at her mother in a comforting manner.

"I'll be fine," Kagome said, both of them catching the double meaning behind her words. She walked easily up to the front door, and turned around to wave at her mother, who drove away.

Kagome took a deep breath. She could do this. She _would _do this. She nodded to herself.

'Time to show what I'm made of,' Kagome thought, internally smiling, while cold blue eyes readied her for what was to come.

The creak of the door echoed in the silent house, and Kagome almost winced. It was so quiet. Too quiet. Her footsteps echoed as well, the suitcase making an almost audible crack as she set it down in the tiled entryway.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called, her voice echoing in the almost silent house.

Seconds passed, and the house remained completely silent. Kagome just stood there for a second, frozen. She'd waited so long for this confrontation, been so prepared. Shaken, but prepared. And her husband wasn't even home.

The surprise passed quickly though, and Kagome was slightly grateful that she was able to set the stage for what was coming next. She moved easily from the doorway, down the hall, to her room. Her clothes came out of the suitcase easily, her razor-sharp thoughts slicing through her head.

The first part was easy enough. However, he had to be home for her to execute it. She frowned, shutting the drawer softly. Oh, well. If nothing else, she would be extra-prepared. Her eyes slid over to the bed, and she almost gagged as the memories from the last time she was here swept over her.

'Well," though Kagome, twitching slightly. 'At least I have time to disinfect the sheets.'

As Kagome did the laundry, she allowed her mind to drift to the conversation that she'd last had with Souten about the plan.

"_Don't worry, Kagome," Souten said, her voice crackling slightly over the phone. "I've taken care of everything. He's going to pick you up tonight at your husband's house. The plan is that you say that you're taking dance classes, and you know that he doesn't like to dance, so the place offered to set you up with a partner."_

_Kagome paused, mind struggling to keep up with all the contours of The Plan._

"_So we're going dancing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, thinking about it._

"_Honestly, I don't know," said Souten. "I just explained to him what the plan was, and he agreed. Other than that, he said he would meet with you and you two could work out the details."_

_Kagome frowned._

"_You know, I would be a lot more comfortable with this if you would actually tell me who this guy is!" Kagome growled slightly into the phone. She continued to pack Sango's clothes into the suitcase._

"_Well, it's part of the surprise," Souten said. Kagome could just picture her shrugging. "There's one more part that's important."_

"_And that is?" Kagome asked, struggling to close the suitcase. She finally sat on it to get it closed, shoulders sagging slightly, like the old Disney-land commercials on her Lion King tape._

"_Inuyasha can't see who this guy is. I'm not sure if he's going to come to the door or not. He probably will, since he does have class-" Kagome once again fumed at the fact that she had no idea who this guy was. _

"_But if he does, you have to get both of you to the car without your idiot of a husband seeing him." _

"_And why do I have to do that?" Kagome said dryly. Souten sighed. _

"_Men are more afraid of the unknown." Kagome sighed, running a hand through her hair. She knew that there was no way out of it. _

"_Alright, I'll do my best," Kagome agreed, mind flitting to how she could accomplish such a fact. She barely caught the next words that shot out of the phone at breakneck speed._

"_Great. Also, before I forget, you have an appointment at 10 am tomorrow with Sesshomaru to discuss what role he's going to play. He thinks you just want an apology, so he'll probably be rude anyways, but don't be late! We need his help!"_

_Kagome's eyes widened, then she growled into the phone._

"_Souten!" she snarled. She could just picture Souten's mischievous smirk. _

"_Oh, and wear something hot," Souten's smug voice said, and with that the line went dead. _

_Kagome threw the phone across the room, before shoving her head in one of the pillows and shrieking._

Kagome sighed, sitting on the laundry hamper across from the washer and dryer. (AN: Forgive me for not describing the laundry room. I assumed you all have wonderful imaginations). When she'd planned to get even with her husband, she'd not imagined that it would lead to fraternizing with a bunch of attractive members of the opposite sex.

But as her mind slipped back to the memory of Sesshomaru pinning her against the desk, and her fingers ran over her lips remembering Hiten's heated kiss, she couldn't help but wonder about her new dance partner.

Kagome had just finished folding the now-disinfected-laundry when she heard the front door open.

'Well,' thought Kagome determinedly. 'It's now or never.' She slowly climbed the stairs, heart beating in her ears. As she reached the top of the stairs, she could hear her husband walking down the hall towards their bedroom. Briefly the image of him and the unknown female flitted through her mind, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins was focused solely on their coming confrontation, and she ignored it. She heard the pause in his steps as he took in the changed room, the bed without sheets, and then she was in the doorway, and she could see him.

The dog ears that were usually perched on his head were missing, exchanged for human ones that disguised his demonic features. He was also dressed in a suit, which meant that he'd been at the office. He obviously heard her coming, because he turned around, and Kagome's breath caught in her chest.

When his dark golden eyes caught hers, and he smiled, for a second it was like nothing had ever changed. And then a cold wind swept in the room from an open window, and she was back. Kagome smiled back at him, despite her pounding heartache.

She knew that she still loved him. But that was why the Plan was important. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't feel betrayed. She wouldn't want him to understand how she felt.

"Kags," Inuyasha said, and then he swept her up in his arms, tucking her head under his chin. Kagome relaxed for a second, tears stinging her eyes, pretending that it still meant the same thing it used to, before she pushed him away slightly.

She folded her arms around herself, wiping at her eyes. Inuyasha looked at her in a slightly concerned manner, and she smiled, brushing it off.

"I just missed you," Kagome said. It was true, in a way. But it wasn't him she missed. It was who she thought he was. Inuyasha's face softened, and he reached out to pull her close.

"It's okay," he said softly. Kagome bit her lip, then started sobbing, her tears darkening his blue dress shirt. "It's okay, I'm here now."

Kagome continued to cry, letting her heartbreak for him soak his shirt, before she wiped her tears away with the Kleenex he gave her, and gave him a watery smile. When he moved closer to her, she waved him off.

"I'm fine," Kagome said, still sniffing lightly. She took a deep breath, and smiled at him more confidently. "Why don't you go take a shower? I'm sure you had a long day at work." Inuyasha's eyes wavered for a second, before he smiled uncertainly, and nodded at her.

"If you're sure you're okay…" he said, reaching up to remove his tie. Kagome nodded, crumpling the Kleenex in her fist.

"Okay," Inuyasha said. He walked over to Kagome, and took her face gently in his hands, kissing her forehead, before walking back into the bathroom.

Kagome closed her eyes, clenching the Kleenex in her fist before opening her eyes once again to reveal cold sapphire orbs. She smirked slightly, then stood up and walked over to the garbage, dropping her Kleenex in it before continuing on to the kitchen.

'Re-entry complete,' thought Kagome.

AN: Well…it's been a really long time since I've updated. Sorry.


	13. Chapter 13

Mentir 13

AN: How long did this take? Too long. Much too long. I want to dedicate this (crappy) chapter to all the people who reviewed, especially Iiarala, who reminded me that I was, in fact, writing a story. Or trying to, anyway. *grimaces*

Kagome stood in front of the mirror, studying her appearance. She needed something that was sexy, but subtle, since Inuyasha wasn't supposed to suspect anything till later. She frowned, and sat on the bed in their bedroom, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Kagome's sapphire blue eyes, framed by long, thick lashes (thank you, mascara!) traveled from head to toe.

She hadn't really had any good clothes for the plan, so she'd had to borrow from Sango. Thankfully, they were the same size.

For the beginning, Sango had suggested things that looked subtly enticing. That way, Kagome could say that she wasn't sure what she needed to wear, so she'd just chosen something that she thought was appropriate. Or it was what all the advertisements were wearing. She absolutely refused to say that it was what the kids on TV were wearing.

Kagome grimaced. She wasn't that old, she was only in her mid twenties.

The dress that she'd chosen was a simple black halter dress, that flared out just a little bit, and landed just below her knees. The shoes, in contrast, were her favourite from when she was in college, but they were the only ones she had, as she hadn't bought new ones in a while. They were fire engine red stilettos. Sango called them her hooker shoes, but Kagome loved them dearly. She only hoped they would be okay, since all her other shoes were really too formal.

She'd put her hair up in a wavy ponytail, and slipped on a red bracelet to match her shoes. Kagome had only put on a little makeup, since they were just supposed to be dancing, and it would look suspicious if she wore a lot, since she didn't even wear it on a daily basis, not having her own job.

'It's kind of weird,' thought Kagome, standing up and glancing over the mirror once again. She looked so…_different_. She was so used to wearing business clothes or casual stuff, since Inuyasha never took her out anymore.

Kagome glanced at her shoes, and scowled. Even though she loved them, she knew if they were actually going dancing, she would be screwed.

At this, her thoughts turned, and she began to once again wonder at the identity of the third man. She was a little apprehensive, since he originally knew Souten, and she was pretty bad-ass when she wanted to be.

Her thoughts continued to wander, and she lingered over the idea of what he would look like. If he would be tall or short, thin or muscular…she cut off her train of thought when she started to wonder what he would kiss like.

Kagome sighed again.

'Oh, well,' she thought to herself. 'Might as well get this over with.'

Inuyasha entered the room, head down, presumably looking for something. Kagome picked up some lip gloss from the dresser and smoothed it over her lips.

"I should be back a little late, so don't wait up, okay?" she said casually.

Inuyasha nodded, not even looking up.

"Okay. Wait, what did you…whoa…" he said, pausing to look up. His amber eyes widened as he took in her outfit.

"Did I forget our anniversary again?" he said, stepping towards her. Inuyasha stepped up behind her and tenderly wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his head on her shoulder, and his white dog ears, that he only showed around the house, twitched.

Kagome smiled at him lovingly in the mirror, while gently pulling his arms from her. Inside she could help herself from scowling with disgust.

'Don't touch me, I know where your hands have been,' her mind snarled, but on the outside she merely turned away from him and fixed the hair he had displaced.

"I have that dance class tonight," Kagome said, deliberately smoothing down her dress in a way that pulled it against her front. "Sango signed me up for it. I told you when we were having dinner." She turned to face him, watching as his eyes slid up and down. In her mind she couldn't help but feel like she was rubbing it in his face, although she knew that he would only see it as her showing off for him.

"You can't expect me to remember everything you do," Inuyasha said, moving closer again. Her heart beat faster as he moved closer, as if to kiss her. Her mind knew that they were done like dinner, but she still couldn't seem to convince herself.

All of a sudden a honk split the tension in the air.

"Sorry, Inuyasha, that's my ride," Kagome said, grabbing her purse and striding past him. She pecked him on the cheek as she walked out the bedroom door. He followed her to the door as she grabbed a coat and slid it over her dress. Just as she placed her hand on the doorknob, he was behind her and he placed his hand over hers to halt her.

Kagome hesitated, turning to look at him. Inuyasha's eyes were soft, and slightly sad.

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha started hesitantly. "I know I've been busy with work, but we should go out later this week." His eyes showed he was being sincere, but Kagome wasn't falling for it.

"I'm not sure, Inuyasha," Kagome said, frowning and turning slightly to face him. It was only then that she realized how closely together they were. He wasn't quite as close as Hiten had been in the dance club, but he was well past invading her personal space.

"I just want you to know that you're the best thing that ever happened to me," Inuyasha said. Kagome smiled, although inside she was sobbing in frustration.

"I love you too," she said, leaning up to kiss him as he enfolded her in his arms. "But I really have to go." Kagome smiled, pulling away from Inuyasha as he made no indication of being finished.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha said, scowling slightly. "Don't get home too late."

Kagome sighed. He never did do very well with affection. But as he held the door open for her, he smiled at her lovingly. It reminded Kagome, strangely enough, of their wedding day. It was exactly how he'd smiled at her then.

She smiled at him briefly, then turned around and strode out into the night, towards the black car that was waiting at the side of the road.

As soon as she knew Inuyasha wasn't watching she scowled darkly, and stalked down the driveway.

'This is what it takes?' she fumed. 'I have to get dressed up for you to realize how much I've given you?" Kagome strode around to the other side of the car. Souten had told her that the guy wouldn't open the door, since he was supposed to be "mysterious". She'd scoffed lightly at that when she was on the phone, but at least it meant that she didn't have to try and explain to her husband why Sango wasn't driving. For all he knew, this was Sango's new car.

Later she would bring it up, or he would open her door or something, to up the tension. But for right now, they were playing things cool.

She couldn't stop herself from slightly slamming the door as she entered the car, then felt bad.

Kagome turned to apologize to her new "dance partner" as she buckled her seat belt and gasped. He was watching her with deep aquamarine eyes that sparkled with amusement. His jet black hair was pulled back in a similar braid to Hiten's although his bangs were somewhat longer, and he looked to be a little shorter.

"You didn't actually expect to go dancing in those shoes, did you?" he asked, eyes twinkling with mirth as he pulled away from the curb and started down the road.

Kagome pouted and crossed her arms, turning to look out the window.

"They were all I had, okay?" she said, her pout changing to a scowl. "I don't exactly go out much." Her anger dissipated slightly as they moved away from her house and she sighed.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," the guy continued, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, and Kagome turned to see him smirking. "I think they're damn sexy. I just think there's no way you can dance in them." Kagome blushed, and raised an eyebrow.

"Wanna bet?" she challenged, a small smile making it's way onto her face. "I lived in these during college. Well, at night, anyway." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him as he stared at her in disbelief, then started to laugh.

"Well then," he said, his gaze turning a bit predatory. "I'll just have to see for myself, won't I?" Kagome blushed again, and made an inquiring face.

"And just how are you going to do that?" she asked, crossing her legs on the seat. Her dress crept a little higher, and she noticed his gaze dart a little bit lower as her blush darkened.

He just smirked at her and continued to drive. Kagome shrugged and turned to look out the window. She smiled to herself as she thought about the driver.

He was hot, Kagome had to admit. His eyes were amazing, and she was somewhat more comfortable with his playful flirtations than Sesshomaru's blatant advances, or Hiten's sly and heated pouncing. He tended to have a more boyish manner, than Hiten's rakish appeal, or Sesshomaru's sophisticated allure, that allowed Kagome to relax more than she had around the other two.

It was a nice change, Kagome had to admit.

Her face changed from relaxed to horror as they parked beside of a salsa club.

"No way," Kagome said, turning to the guy. "I said I was okay. Okay as in, I can walk, stand, occasionally club dance. Not salsa. Not actual dance." Her sapphire eyes narrowed slightly as she shook her head.

"Ah-ah," he said, smirking and unbuckling his seat belt. "It's too late for take backs." He came around to open her door for her. "Besides," he said, as Kagome sighed and took the hand he offered to her. "You don't want to _lie_ to your husband, do you?" He pulled her forward a little, and closed the door behind her. Kagome scowled playfully, and turned to walk towards the door.

"Wait," he said, catching her hand, and pulling her back a little. "I think I should know your name before we do anything else. Maybe even a little more," he smirked flirtatiously, and Kagome knew she was never going to stop blushing tonight. Her stomache started to butterfly as he brushed his lips over her hands.

'I know how this is going to end,' Kagome thought semi-miserably, recalling Hiten's introduction, and where they had ended up just the other day. His eyes were raking over her now that he could see everything, but Kagome didn't notice, too focused on his warm lips over her knuckles. When his intense aqua eyes met her again, Kagome held her breath. He chuckled slightly, letting her hand drop, although not letting it go from his.

"I'm Bankotsu," he said, and Kagome let it sink in for a minute. "I'm in college to be a police officer, and I have six brothers."

Kagome felt her sapphire eyes widen as Bankotsu laughed slightly at the look on her face. She moved slightly to perch on the hood of his car, her legs getting tired of standing.

"That's a lot," she admitted. Bankotsu moved to sit beside her.

"Yeah, my parents were pretty busy," he said, letting go of her hand and placing his on either side of himself. Kagome paused to absorb this. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she bit her lip.

"No girlfriend?" Kagome inquired, wanting to know, but knowing she shouldn't ask. His eyes changed slightly, becoming bitter.

"Well, I had one," he said, turning to look up at the sky. "But she cheated on me with someone else and got pregnant." There was a long silence.

"But you're so hot," Kagome blurted out, not thinking. Her hands flew to her mouth as she realized what he said. Bankotsu turned to look at her, surprised, and laughed at the look on her face.

"Well, you're not too bad yourself," he teased her, and Kagome continued to hide her tomato-red face in her hands. He raised and eyebrow.

"So what about you? Do I at least get a name?" Bankotsu asked playfully. Kagome let her hands fall from her face and turned to face him.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi," she said easily, looking over his shoulder as she talked for fear of embarrassing herself again. "I don't have a job, and I caught my husband cheating on me in our own house."

Bankotsu whistled. "That's gotta hurt."

Kagome frowned and folded her hands in her lap.

"It did," she admitted. "But all I can think about asking him is why. I mean, I know it's probably going to be something bad. I just…" She shrugged helplessly. "I just want to know."

Kagome turned to see Bankotsu smiling at her.

"I know what you mean. But that's the point of all this, isn't it?" he asked, gesturing his hands in the air. Kagome shrugged again.

"Part of it," she said. Her lips curved upward. "But part of it is for the company."

Bankotsu smirked at her upon hearing this, and his eyes sparkled. He stood up, holding out a hand to pull her up against him.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind," he said, holding one hand around her waist as he turned them towards the door. "Now what do you say we have some fun?"


End file.
